Adopt-a-highway thrives as inexpensIve marketing

The ultimate goal of Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, says Executive Director Christi Cakiroglu, "is to achieve a society free of cigarette litter and shot-up televisions."

Even though the recession left businesses with fewer resources, they continue to provide a big hand to Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful and its adopt-a-spot campaigns.

The self-funded, private non-profit group seeks out local businesses, families and civic groups to volunteer to remove litter from roadways throughout much of Washoe County and the effort has kept going strong during the economic downturn.

"We actually have seen a slight increase," says Cakiroglu. "I think one of the reasons the program has sustained itself in the midst of this recession is the signage that goes up along the roadways." When groups or businesses volunteer for a two-year period to provide cleanup along a stretch of road, a sign is erected that identifies the group or business responsible for helping keep the Truckee Meadows as litter-free as possible.

"It is free publicity," says Cakiroglu. "It is cheaper than a billboard to market your business or group. The point is that while a motorist driving by may not immediately react to the name on the sign, later on they will see that name in a different context and say, 'I have a good feeling about that business or group, but I cannot remember why.' There is a subliminal impact and everyone benefits."

Morgan Tiar, operations coordinator for Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, says community pride also has kept the adoption program thriving in Reno and Sparks.

"From a municipal standpoint, Adopt-A-Spot is helping tremendously because we are taking work that otherwise would be either put off or not be done due to the deep budget cuts both cities have had to make," she says.

In the city of Reno alone, there were 967 volunteer hours performed in 2011 that resulted in the collection of 181 bags of trash and, when coupled with the unincorporated area surrounding Reno, those numbers rise to 1,200 hours and 220 bags of trash.

Attorney Cliff Young, for instance, tired of seeing wind-blown trash collect along a fence on Mira Loma Drive on his way home, so he adopted a location next to Rosewood Lakes Golf Course more than a decade ago. Every few months Young collects trash from the site and hauls it to the landfill. He adopted a second spot on South Rock Boulevard in 2009.

The two sites cost him $500 each year for administrative fees.

There are four options for individuals, businesses or groups to consider.

One is the Good Neighbor Adoption aimed at families, service clubs and non-profits. The fee is $150. For $250, a commercial business or organization can participate in the Commercial Adoption program. For organizations or groups who want to participate but are unable to clean and monitor their spot, there is the Sponsorship Adoption in which the fee is $500. Their spot will be cleaned by volunteers under the Free Adoption program. For this group, the commitment calls for clean up four times annually.

Groups are provided with large orange bags, safety vests and gloves. "We give them all the supplies they need. They bag the litter and Waste Management works with us to go out and pick up the orange bags," says Tiar. "The cities of Reno and Sparks take on the responsibility for producing the signage and because of that, we want to ensure we have that two year commitment. The program is working quite well."

Rick Darby, parks and recreation manager for the City of Sparks, agrees that the program has been successful.

"I don't know how we would do it without them," he says. "The program saves us a lot of money in the cost of sending an employee and a vehicle out. It has been invaluable, because we would have had to keep the roadways clean if they were not adopted by the private sector."

As for the cost of producing the signage, Darby says it is minimal. "I'm guessing that we are probably in it for about $150 because we simply do not have the turnover with the volunteer groups. Some may over the years choose to cover a different roadway, so all we have to do is move the sign for them."

Some businesses are so committed that they even form a second compact with Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful.

"Take Laurie Brazier, for example," says Tiar. "She's an insurance agent in Sparks. She has adopted two sections of roadway, one for her business, the other for her family."

The Nevada Department of Transportation once sponsored a similar adoption program along the state's highways, but it has largely been reduced over the years. However, the agency is having success with its Sponsor A Highway program in the Las Vegas area. Businesses provide the funding and independent professional contractors do the litter removal. NDOT has plans to expand the program to Northern Nevada over the next few years.