Boy Scout Troop 45 adopts two-mile stretch of state Route 619 for litter cleanup

Boy Scout Troop 45, led by Scoutmaster Jeff Wertman and operating out of St. Jacob’s Lutheran Church, has joined the State of Ohio’s Adopt-A-Highway Program, which allows volunteer groups to adopt a two-mile section of highway for regular litter cleanup.

The scouts have adopted the stretch of State Route 619 from Market Avenue to Akron-Canton Jellystone Park Camp Resort (Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park) in Uniontown. According to the state, volunteer groups collect an average of 25,000 bags of litter each year, saving taxpayers roughly $250,000. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) supplied the scouts with vests, grabbers, and trash bags for their work.

Scouts who participated in the cleanup included Colson H., Eli S., Miles H., Sam E., Caleb S., Lucas S., Patrick S., Peter S., Jackson H., Winston S., Colt N., Owen K., Peyton S., Dyla T., Garrett H., Zander P., Nate M., and Jabe P., along with a few siblings and 11 adult leaders. The majority of litter collected consisted of cigarette butts and plastic bottles. A plastic water bottle made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can take up to 450 years to decompose, while a cigarette filter can take between 18 months and 14 years.

After completing the cleanup, the troop celebrated with ice cream and cereal cones at Almost Heaven in Hartville. Each scout earned two community service hours for the effort.

ODOT dedicates about $10 million annually to litter cleanup across the state. The agency, along with inmates and volunteer groups, collects approximately 400,000 bags of trash from Ohio highways each year. The Adopt-A-Highway program is one of several ODOT initiatives to keep the state’s roadways clean and scenic.

The program asks groups to commit to two years and complete at least four cleanups annually. Volunteers receive safety training and supplies from ODOT, which also provides and installs signage recognizing the group’s adopted section. The only cost to participants is their time, and the signs remain posted as long as the group renews its permit.