Local Ruritan clubs plan to beautify our roadsides, and welcome additional help
By Sarah Richardson
Residents across the region are encouraged to take part in the upcoming Adopt-A-Highway Spring Cleanup, an opportunity for individuals, families, churches, businesses, schools, civic organizations, and community groups to help keep local roadways clean and attractive.
Locally, area Ruritan groups take to our roadsides each year to clean up trash and litter left behind after the winter season. They partner with the Adopt-A-Highway Program, which is co-sponsored by the Division of Highways and the Department of Environmental Protection, REAP Program. It was established in the late 1980s to improve the quality of the state’s environment by encouraging public involvement in the elimination of highway litter.
“Its objective is to save taxpayer money by increasing public awareness and to serve as an educational tool by focusing on the consequences of littering. The program offers volunteers the opportunity to take charge of their own environment by making a positive effort to create a cleaner, more aesthetic place in which to live,” states the WV Department of Transportation.
Through the program, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection supplies garbage bags, work gloves, and safety vests. They also handle trash disposal afterward. All you need to bring is your time and willingness to help!
Local participating Ruritan club cleanup dates include:
Maxwelton Ruritans: Monday, Apr. 20, at 5:30 p.m. Meet at the Greenbrier County 911 Center parking lot, 173 Arbuckle Lane in Maxwelton.
Frankford Ruritans: Monday, Apr. 20, at 5:30 p.m. Meet at the AAA Storage Lot across from the Exxon Station in Frankford.
Clintonville Ruritans: Saturday, Apr. 25, at 9 a.m. at the Clintonville Community Building, 18904 Midland Trail West in Clintonville. Rain date set for Saturday, May 2, at 9 a.m.
Smoot Ruritans: Saturday, Apr. 25, at 10 a.m. Meet at the Ruritan Community Park, Dixie Lee Farren Wall Park, on Grassy Meadows Road beside the Smoot Firehouse. (If raining, will be rescheduled to a later date.)
The Richland Ruritans cleanup is a two-person act between Douglas and Sue McKinney, who clean Hern’s Mill Road. They will be cleaning up on Saturday, Apr. 25, and welcome any volunteers who want to help clean up the areas around the lower part of Blue Sulphur Pike.
The Renick Ruritan Club also holds an annual cleanup, however, they operate independently of the Adopt-A-Highway Program, and have inmates from the Denmar Correctional Center assist in the pickup.
If you would like to register your own cleanup group, you must do so in advance by Apr. 17, and inform the county DOH garage if you need supplies. Individuals, families, churches, businesses, schools, civic organizations, government agencies and communities can register to pick up trash on almost any state-maintained road, back road or main route. Private roads and interstate highways are not eligible for adoption. To register, call 1-800-322-5530 or email dep.aah@wv.gov. If you reach the REAP voicemail, please leave your name, phone number, group name, date of cleanup, number of participants, and the county where your adopted road is located.
The 2025 Adopt-A-Highway Spring Cleanup had more than 1,900 volunteers from over 250 groups who removed nearly 79,000 pounds of litter from almost 600 miles of roadway. In West Virginia there are currently 25,000 volunteers who regularly pick up litter on 4,000 miles of highway. They have been responsible for removing more than 40 million pounds of litter since the program began. You, too, can be a special person by taking responsibility for your environment and adopting a highway.
Co-sponsored by the WVDEP and the state Division of Highways, the Adopt-A-Highway program is administered by the WVDEP’s Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP). The REAP program empowers citizens to take ownership of their communities by providing technical, financial, and resource assistance in cleanup and recycling efforts.
