“I always wonder why our Arizona veterans aren’t angered by all of the trash on their memorial highways, could it be they don’t care?”

Gary Chamberlain
“America the Beautiful & BagReadyJobs”
Empowering our nation’s youth

As you noted, ADOT does a fair job keeping the highways clean within the Phoenix city limits.

The highway sections outside of Phoenix are a disgrace especially our Arizona veterans highways (there are three).

I returned home from a trip outside of Arizona and noticed how filthy our Arizona Veterans Highway (I-17) is from Flagstaff south.

I always wonder why our Arizona veterans are angered by all of the trash on their memorial highways, could it be they don’t care?

Gary Chamberlain
“America the Beautiful & BagReadyJobs”
Empowering our nation’s youth

Time it takes for garbage to decompose in the environment:

Glass Bottle…………………….. 1 million years
Monofilament Fishing Line… 600 years
Plastic Beverage Bottles…… 450 years
Disposable Diapers………… 450 years
Aluminum Can………………… 80-200 years
Foamed Plastic Buoy……… 80 years
Foamed Plastic Cups……… 50 years
Rubber-Boot Sole…………… 50-80 years
Tin Cans……………………. 50 years
Leather…………………………… 50 years
Nylon Fabric…………………… 30-40 years
Plastic Film Container…….. 20-30 years
Plastic Bag…………………….. 10-20 years
Cigarette Butt…………………. 1-5 years
Wool Sock………………………. 1-5 years
Plywood…………………….. 1-3 years
Waxed Milk Carton………… 3 months
Apple Core…………………. 2 months
Newspaper………………….. 6 weeks
Orange or Banana Peel…… 2-5 weeks
Paper Towel……………….. 2-4 weeks

Information Source: U.S. National Park Service; Mote Marine Lab, Sarasota, FL

Gary Chamberlain
“America the Beautiful & BagReadyJobs”
Empowering our nation’s youth
(928) 202-1186
FolksvilleUSA@gmail.com

The existence and decomposition rates of the items on our Arizona highways is something that “all” residents of Arizona should bring to the attention of Governor Ducey, ADOT Director Halikowski, Superintendent Diane Douglas and Patricia Powers-Zermeno ADOT Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator
for without their participation in anti-litter messages and efforts the problem will continue to plague the image and economy of Arizona.

Office of the Governor
Arizona Governor Mr. Doug Ducey
Executive Tower
1700 West Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007
AZGOV@AZ.gov
(602) 542-4331

Office of Superintendent of Public Schools
Ms. Diane Douglas
1535 West Jefferson Street (Bin#2)
Phoenix, AZ 85007
adeinbox@AZED.gov
(602) 542-5460

Mr. John Halikowski Director ADOT
206 South 17th Avenue
MD-100A
Phoenix, AZ 85007
JHalikowski@AZDOT.Gov
(602) 712-7227

Patricia Powers-Zermeno ADOT Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator
C/O Mr. John Halikowski Director ADOT
206 South 17th Avenue
MD-100A
Phoenix, AZ 85007
PPowers-Zermeno@AZDOT.Gov
(602) 712-4620

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Citizen’s of Cornville’s Lower Oak Creek Estates (LOCE) 2009

In July of 2009, a group of residents from Lower Oak Creek Estates (LOCE), aka “Skunk Hollow” located in Cornville, AZ conducted the first Folksville USA recycling event and they evaluated the contents of 100 bags of trash.

What’s even more amazing is that three short months earlier, 221 bags of highway litter were collected on this same section of Highway 89A between Cottonwood and Sedona during the first “Road Warrior” litter recovery event held on April 25, 2009. What does this say about our residents and visitors?

Carol Lamb-Jean organized the LOCE residents who helped with the Scenic Highway 89A litter recovery in July and LOCE was solely responsible for sorting the contents of 100 of the 219 bags of litter collected. Carole Lamb-Jean, Connie Morgan, Jim Jean, Charlene Van Allen, Johnnie Wilson and Ed Helgeson from Cornville completed the entire recycling process.

From 100 of the 219 bags of litter collected, 1957 items were recycled. Due to minor confusion, 119 of the 219 bags of litter were sent to the land fill and were unfortunately excluded from the LOCE recycling process. Approximately 80% of the contents of the 100 bags of litter were recycled and 20% went to the landfill.

This is a list of the contents of the 100 bags of litter processed by LOCE:

1 Plastic bucket,
1 Household cleaner bucket,
21 One gallon water bottles,
1 Plastic milk container,
378 Seventeen once water bottles,
2 Plastic vitamin bottles,
146 Sport drinks bottles,
3 Orange drink bottles,
2 One gallon milk bottles,
1 Soap dish,
21 Small plastic milk containers,
1 Plastic cooking oil bottle,
47 Plastic soda bottles,
1 One gallon iced tea bottle,
3 Motor oil containers,
1 Plastic storage bowl,
13 Plastic juice bottle,
97 Plastic cups,
1 Plastic mustard bottle,
1 Plastic peanut butter jar,
27 Coffee cups,
14 Cough syrup bottles,
1 Mayonnaise jar,
1 One gallon laundry bottle,
17 Miscellaneous car debris parts,
116 Plastic mini-shot alcohol bottles,
5 Ice cooler lids,
4 Pint alcohol bottles,
12 Five gallon plastic lids,
5 Muriatic acid containers,
340 Twelve once soda cans,
558 Beer cans,
32 Small Iced tea bottles,
21 Juice cans,
46 Miscellaneous alcohol bottles,
15 Metal cans
1 “Old” oil can

1957 Total Items

If we are all trying to make an impression on those that live in and visit the Verde Valley then I believe we need to do a better job of not littering our highways. If we continue to see the quantity of blue ADOT Adopt-A-Highway bags on the highway then we as parents, educators, businesses and residents are not teaching a valuable lesson about improving the image and economy of the Verde Valley and Arizona.

Community leaders, businesses, educators, parents and residents of the Verde Valley could play a vital role in reversing this trend by having discussions regarding litter and recycling and by assisting one of the many ADOT Adopt-A-Highway groups in our area.

Only “we the people of our community” can reverse this trend, “many hands with one goal” and that includes ADOT (they need to clean the medians, mow the highway shoulders and medians), it takes a “Team Effort”.

Gary Chamberlain
“America the Beautiful & BagReadyJobs”
Empowering our nation’s youth
FolksvilleUSA@gmail.com
(928) 202-1186