Cleaning Up Raleigh

I’ve ranted about it before here at MT.Net. I’ve written two notes to the N.C. Department of Transportation. Its been two months since I first got so fed up abuot the trash on the western side of the I-440 Beltline that I decided to tell someone about it. The responses I’ve gotten back from NCDOT have been polite and claim to do somethng but little seems to get done. Are the inmate crews too busy that they can’t be bothered to work the roads, in spite of the recent beautiful weather?

Tuesday morning I saw an NCDOT cleanup crew picking up trash just north of the Crabtree exit, yet the mound of trash that irks me the most is still there. The section of median between the Hillsborough Street and Wade Avenue exits looks like a landfill. Trash is wrapped around the guardrail posts and scattered all along the roadside. Each day more of it piles up. This piece of road is one of the most visible in Raleigh: right next to the fairgrounds and the Wade Avenue Extension of I-40. It is a gateway to Raleigh, and its trashed all to hell.

Since its obvious my pleas have fallen on deaf ears, I’ll have the chance to increase my involvement next week as the state DOT kicks off its annual Litter Sweep, a two-week statewide campaign to clean up trash. Citizens like me who are fed up with trash will be given an opportunity to do something about it. NCDOT will provide safety vests, gloves, and trash bags for citizens to use in collecting the tons of trash that line our highways. DOT work crews will then pick up the bags of trash that are produced.

Though it promises to be hard work, I look forward to personally cleaning up this trash. It really, really bothers me that much. My only regret is that volunteers are not allowed to clean the medians, where much of the unsightly trash exists.

If you’re interested in joining me in this effort, see the Litter Sweep lkink or call the Litter Sweep Hotline at 800-331-5864. Together we can clean Raleigh up!