April O'Neil / news@WHMI.com

Fall colors will soon take over the roadsides, but not before thousands of Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Adopt-A-Highway volunteers fan out across the state to collect litter along highways from Saturday, Sept. 23, through Sunday, Oct. 1.

This is the third and final scheduled pickup period of the year.

Every year, Adopt-A-Highway volunteers regularly collect more than 60,000 bags of trash. The popular program began in Michigan in 1990 and has grown to involve more than 2,900 groups cleaning more than 6,000 miles of highway.

Motorists should be on the lookout for the groups as they clean the roadsides beginning Saturday.

Safety is a top priority for the program. When working in a highway right of way, volunteers wear high-visibility, yellow-green safety vests required by federal regulations. MDOT provides free vests and trash bags and arranges to haul away the trash.

Adopting a highway is straightforward. Volunteers include members of civic groups, businesses, and families. Crew members must be at least 12 years old, and each group must include at least three people.

Groups are asked to adopt a section of highway for at least two years. There is no fee to participate. Adopt-A-Highway signs bearing group names are posted along the stretches of adopted highway.

Sections of highway are available for adoption all over the state. Interested groups can get more information on joining the program at the provided link.