Brand-new signs along State Route 347 now mark a stretch of highway InMaricopa has helped keep clean for decades.

The Arizona Department of Transportation installed the fresh Adopt a Highway signs this month near Casa Blanca Road, where InMaricopa sponsors cleanup of a section of SR 347.

The signs are part of ADOT’s Adopt a Highway program, which supports litter removal along state highways through volunteer permits and paid sponsorships that fund vendor-led cleanups.

For InMaricopa, the sponsorship dates back 20 years.

Publisher and owner Scott Bartle recalled earlier cleanup days when InMaricopa staff donned safety vests and walked the roadside collecting trash by hand.

“It was a great experience to volunteer together to help the environment and beautify the entrance to our community,” Bartle said.

The work reflects a statewide effort to cut down on roadside litter. According to ADOT, Americans discard more than 23 billion pieces of litter on U.S. roadways each year, equating to 73 littered items per U.S. resident.

Last year, 7,270 volunteers collected more than 12,000 bags of trash along Arizona highways. ADOT compared the weight of that trash to 10 bulldozers or 13 African bush elephants.

Bartle said he hopes the renewed signs and continued sponsorship encourage others to take pride in keeping Maricopa clean.

“Even though the sponsorship model is now to pay for a state vendor to clean it, we hope the end result still sets an example for others and instills pride in our community,” he said.