The results are in from the annual statewide Spring Litter Sweep and we are pleased to report that state prison inmates cleaned 7,263 miles of roadway and collected 85,320 bags of litter during the two-week trash reduction effort in May. The campaign represents 113,990 hours worked by male and female inmates.
This program is an excellent example of safely using inmate labor to significantly reduce litter along our state highways. The comments we receive at the Department of Correction clearly reflect the appreciation by the citizens of North Carolina.
Each year, the Litter Sweep happens during two weeks in the fall and spring. Adopt-a-Highway volunteers, local governments, schools, churches, businesses, concerned citizens and inmates conduct community cleanups in all 100 counties across the state.
But highway trash pickup is not limited to the two litter sweep periods each year. Inmate crews are out on the roads every weekday when there’s acceptable weather. We’ve worked with DOT to make our litter pickup zones on urban interstates safer and more visible. Give our officers and inmates a brake and drive safely through litter pickup zones. A little bit of caution goes a long way.