Where's Marty? Learning about Operation Clean Sweep with the State Highway Administration
Hi Everyone!
K2 and I really enjoy doing stories with the State Highway Administration. Getting around is one thing we all have in common, and SHA makes that seem effortless.
But as we have found out, that "seem," without hundreds of hardworking and creative people on the job, is just a word.
So when SHA-MD came to us and said, "Would you help promote a 'trash blitz'?" we were more than happy to help. And we can sum this up in one word: LITTER. It is everywhere, and it is disgusting. AND it is not just unique to Maryland. The solution is easy: don't litter. But having said that, getting rid of the trash "out there" is a big deal for a couple of reasons.
Number 1: It is hard to mow medians and right-of-ways when there is trash. One piece of paper gets shredded into dozens of pieces, and the problem gets bigger. Also, hard objects damage equipment, and when flung out, they can hit people or cars. And because of the mild winter and early spring, mowing will begin sooner than usual.
Number 2: It gets in the way of drainage grates and can even end up in the bay. No, wait, not "even," it does end up in the Chesapeake.
A dump truck can hold 50 full trash bags. Last year, roughly, 375,000 bags of trash were collected statewide, enough to fill roughly 7,500 dump trucks. Think there is a problem?
Yearly, the state cleans all the roads, and more than once usually at seasons change and before big travel holidays. And the current push is on. Here is a link to the SHA web page about Operation Clean Sweep MD. It is one page, and totally worth a read.
WJZ at 9, and WJZ in general, were happy to help get the word out this morning. And one more thing, speed kills. Be very careful when you see any road crews "out there" working.
Marty B!