Adopt-A-Highway Campaign Underway

Hundreds of kilometres of Nova Scotia highways will soon be getting their annual spring cleaning now that the province's 2006 Adopt-A-Highway program has begun.

"Adopt-A-Highway volunteers have been making Nova Scotia highways look better since 1992," said Theresa Osborne, co-ordinator, Adopt-A-Highway. "Last year they worked more than 6,000 hours along 532 kilometres of highways and 10 interchange areas and picked up almost 5,000 bags of garbage."

In a brief roadside ceremony to officially open the 2006 program today, May 12, Transportation and Public Works Minister Angus MacIsaac recognized the hard work of the volunteers and urged Nova Scotians to be extra careful when driving through cleanup areas.

"The hard work done by these volunteers benefits all of us," said Mr. MacIsaac. "It is important that drivers reduce speed and be extra cautious when they come across one of these cleanup groups at work."

Mr. MacIsaac said volunteers will be wearing fluorescent orange safety vests, but they may be fairly close to the road's driving surface as they pick up litter from adopted sections of highway.

Adopt-A-Highway is an internationally renowned roadside litter cleanup program. It protects and preserves the environmental health of the landscape and maintains scenic routes for motorists. In Nova Scotia it is supported by RRFB (Resource Recovery Fund Board) Nova Scotia, the Women's Institutes of Nova Scotia, the departments of Transportation and Public Works, Tourism, Culture and Heritage, and Environment and Labour, the Lions Clubs of Nova Scotia, and Clean Nova Scotia.

More information about the Adopt-A-Highway Program is available by calling Theresa Osborne at 902-893-6520 or by e-mail at [email protected] . Information is also available on the website at www.gov.ns.ca/nsaf/wi/projects/adopt.shtml .