Adopting a Highway is a Beautiful Act

Some friends recently shared a Beautiful Act on our Get Caught page, but their pictures don’t really tell the full story – and it’s a beautiful one.

The Miller Heights Neighborhood Association adopted Miller Heights Road in Oakton, Virginia. They turned their first cleanup event into a party. 27 volunteers picked up trash, they had an information table with games and prizes (like reusable water bottles, reusable grocery bags, magnets, and more), and everyone jumped in.

They had some help from the Fairfax County Public Health Department who donated some brochures and comic books about preventing ticks and mosquitoes, and Clean Fairfax donated some of their cleanup tools and prizes. Our friend Sara told us that Clean Fairfax has been a great partner for them since long before they adopted Miller Heights Road.

Sara told us, “I’ll be honest, we don’t have much trash along the roads in our neighborhood. I almost always pick up a beer can or liquor bottle when I jog, and most people walking dogs pick up trash along the road when they see it, but we find the majority of the trash on trash collection days when trash doesn’t make it from the trash can to the truck. I’m hoping the Adopt A Highway sign will prevent a few people from throwing cans/bottles out their window.”

Indeed.