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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Police: Man beat neighbor with cane in lawn dispute ... Ariella St. Clair retiring from producing live music shows ... Pipeline project annoys east Medford residents ... Police: Man beat neighbor with cane in lawn dispute ... Ariella St. Clair retiring from producing live music shows ... Pipeline project annoys east Medford residents ... SINCE YOU ASKED Since You Asked: Wanton, careless litterers dirty state highways Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 20, 2016 at 12:01 AM Posted Apr. 20, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News I travel Highway 62 daily and wonder why I see so much trash and junk along the highway. Between Vilas Road and Eagle Point, it's a mess. Our highways used to be beautiful — now they are starting to look worse than California's. Why are they not being cleaned up? — Ron L., Eagle Point Perhaps the better question, Ron, would be: How do our beautiful highways get so trashy in the first place? Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Gary Leaming says there's two types of litterers traveling our highways and byways: those who are unaware there's trash blowing out of the beds of their pickups and those who are just plain rude and throw their trash out their windows. Common items ODOT crews find along state highways are tires, dirty diapers, needles, plastic bags, food wrappers, Styrofoam and urine bottles (presumably left by long-haul truckers). ODOT uses community justice crews and their own workers to pick up trash along the highways. It also hires teenagers in the summer for its litter patrol. To answer your question, sections of highways are cleaned on a rotation, but "it doesn't take very long, and pretty soon we have more trash to pick up," Leaming says. "We all need to make sure our truck beds are clear of things that could blow out on the road." ODOT also has a nifty Adopt-A-Highway program for those who want to keep our highways looking beautiful. If you're interested, Ron, you can call Debra McKey at 541-665-5210. Adopters must commit to litter pickup at least four times a year for at least one year. "We're always looking for people to adopt a highway," Leaming says. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected]. To see a collection of columns, go to mailtribune.com/youasked . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Apr. 20, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501