Who is responsible for cleaning roadsides?

ROSEVILLE, Minn. – The spring melt revealed a dirty problem on our highways and roads. Beneath that snowpack was tons of trash, big and small.

Rachel from St. Paul emailed us wondering: Who is responsible for cleaning roadsides? Good Question. Jeff Wagner learned much of that hard work is in the hands of your neighbors.

It's the spring bloom that makes you go "bleh." So who determines who cleans where? WCCO News asked Anne Meyers with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. 

"Ultimately if it's a highway, MnDOT maintains it," Meyers said. "So we've got 12,000 miles of highway in the state of Minnesota. Multiply that by two, you've got 24,000 miles of roadsides to really clean and maintain. But with litter, litter isn't necessarily the highest priority on our list just because it's not a safety factor."

While roadside cleanup has started along interstates and highways, MnDOT's top priority is patching potholes, fixing guardrails and other safety concerns. The agency hired contractors to handle trash pickup so its crews can focus on those other tasks mentioned.

READ MORE: How do street sweepers work?

But there's another set of helping hands getting rid of the garbage.

"We have more than 1,800 active volunteer groups across the state," Meyers said. "Last year, they picked up 38,500-plus bags of trash."

So what motivated volunteers like Joe Rauscher and his son Jenner to be part of the sanitary solution?

"Just giving back to the community," Joe Rauscher said.

Rauscher is the CEO of Joe's Sporting Goods, which neighbors Highway 36 is Roseville. For more than a decade, they've cleaned a two-mile stretch of the road through MnDOT's Adopt a Highway program. Staff at the store and ski teams from area high schools make up their volunteer group.  

"We don't go out in the middle where it's two-way traffic. Oh my gosh, that's very dangerous out there. But we go all on the northside and the southside," he said.

The spot they say is typically the worst? Where people start to slow down.

"There's lots of trash within a block and a half of any of those exits off of the highway," he said. "We found golf clubs, we found shovels, we've found tires."

Those larger items probably weren't tossed out a window like food wrappers. More likely, they fell from a vehicle. Either way, MnDOT would prefer people prevent the trash than worry about cleaning up.

"So securing your load and just not adding to anymore litter really helps us out as well," Meyers said.

If you see trash along a highway that should be picked up, you can report it to MnDOT just like you would a pothole on their website. Click here to make a report.

Who is responsible for cleaning roadsides within city limits? According to the City of Minneapolis, it's usually the property owners. They're responsible for cleaning litter on their property, sidewalks and alleyways. Businesses are required to clear 100 feet in every direction of their property, including parking lots, sidewalks and the street.