In February of 2010 Flame Propane of Camp Verde, AZ offered to pick up all of the ADOT, Adopt-A-Highway litter bags one week following the highway litter pick-ups scheduled for February13, May 15, August 14 and November 20 of 2010.
Flame’s offer meant that some ADOT Highway Maintenance workers from Prescott and Flagstaff didn’t have to spend time dealing with highway litter on Scenic Highway 89A from Jerome to Sedona and Highway 260 from Cottonwood to Camp Verde. If the highway Permittee’s, those whose names appear on the Adopt-A-Highway signs, collected their litter on the specific dates noted above then considerable time and expense could be saved. If our over-worked ADOT Highway Maintenance Department staff didn’t have to collect and dispose of the ADOT, Adopt-A-Highway bags, then the time saved should mean taxpayer money saved. How much time, energy and money could be saved if people didn’t illegally litter our highways?
Flame provided food and donated a new barbecue as a raffle prize for those who came to Camp Verde on February 20, 2010 to remove the recyclables from the 88 bags of illegally dumped litter. Several Verde Valley businesses also donated raffle prizes to the participants.
Flame worked in partnership with members of the Folksville, USA community, the Folksville Recyclers located in Cornville’s “Lower Oak Creek Estates” or “Skunk Hollow” and with Sedona’s Enchantment Resort Director of Engineering Ron Parker. They all worked to reduce the 88 bags of litter collected on a 7 mile portion of Scenic Highway 89A between Cottonwood and Sedona into categories. The contents from the 88 total bags were sorted and reduced to 41 bags which ended up in the landfill. This meant that the contents of the original 88 bags were reduced to 47 bags of recyclable components. These recyclables were donated to Sedona Recycle and some were claimed by Flame Propane. There were 47 bags reclaimed and will be reused during the May 15, 2010 litter recovery event. The sorting of the 88 bags took 7 people 2 ½ hours to complete.
There were 218 beer cans & bottles, 97 glass whiskey bottles and 162 soft drink & water bottle containers. Yes, we counted all of these 477 items. Many paper, metal and plastic products were donated to Sedona Recycles.
Bag-pipe music was provided by Jaime Waite. Lower Oak Creek participants were Johnnie Wilson, Charlene Van Allen, Vonda Adams and Josh.
Flame Propane District Manager, Gerald Rogers and Sales Representative, Lorin Adams participated in the recycling event. Lorin Adams worked at both February events. Lorin also assisted Ron Parker with Enchantment Resort and they transported the 88 litter bags recovered from the highway on February 13, 2010 to Flames office.
Details on how to get involved with the ADOT Adopt-A-Highway Permittee’s in our area may be picked up at Randall’s Restaurant in Cottonwood. Randall’s is located at 891 South Main Street, Cottonwood, AZ. The next Flame Propane recycling event is scheduled for May 22, 2010, contact Lorin Adams at (928) 567-2620 for details.
Gary Chamberlain, PhD
Mayor of Folksville
Cornville, AZ resident
