City of Melbourne ‘Adopt-a-Road’ Volunteer Teams Collect 1,560 Pounds of Trash During the Summer

By  //  August 11, 2021

largest volunteer group this summer was Club Esteem with 60 participants

Volunteers in the City of Melbourne’s Adopt-A-Road program work hard to show our community that each of us can reduce litter and make our neighborhoods, communities, and overall City a better place to live. (City of Melbourne image)

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Volunteers in the City of Melbourne’s Adopt-A-Road program work hard to show our community that each of us can reduce litter and make our neighborhoods, communities, and overall City a better place to live.

This summer 72 Adopt-a-Road volunteers collected 1,560 pounds of trash from our local roads. Our largest volunteer group this summer was Club Esteem with 60 volunteers.

Left unchecked, roadside litter, like single-use plastic, plastic bags, and cigarettes, can become an eyesore and a danger to others and wildlife.

This debris can find its way to rivers like the Eau Gallie River, Crane Creek, stormwater drains, streams, and other waterways until it ends up in the Indian River Lagoon or the Atlantic Ocean.

According to the Keep America Beautiful 2020 National Litter Study, “of the 50 billion pieces of litter, 24 billion are along roadways and 26 billion are along waterways.”

Litter reduction is a positive action that each of us can do.

The City of Melbourne’s Adopt-A-Road program offers businesses, civic groups, school groups, places of worship, families, and individuals the opportunity to adopt a minimum of a one-mile section of a City-maintained roadside for the purpose of litter reduction.

Teams make a commitment to remove litter along their adopted area at least four times a year and provide the City with a cleanup report after each event.

The City provides safety vests, trash bags, gloves, and trash grabbers.

Teams determine the cleanup schedule based on their availability and preference. Many families, businesses, and organizations participate in our program, and we can’t thank them enough.

It’s easy to get involved! The first step to begin the process is to contact the City of Melbourne’s Environmental Community Outreach (ECO) Division at 321-608-5080 or email adoptaroad@mlbfl.org for assistance in selecting an approved City-maintained roadside for adoption.

It’s easy to get involved! The first step to begin the process is to contact the City of Melbourne’s Environmental Community Outreach (ECO) Division at 321-608-5080 or email adoptaroad@mlbfl.org (City of Melbourne image)

The following roadways are currently available:

■ Palmetto Avenue turning north on Riverview Drive to Harbor City Boulevard next to Einstein Bagels
■ Hibiscus Road from Gateway Road to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
■ Lipscomb Street from University Boulevard to E. Florida Avenue
■ Pirate Lane from S. Babcock Street to Lipscomb Street
■ E. University Boulevard from Main Street to Colbert Circle

Once a road has been selected, the ECO Division will mail you an Adopt-A-Road Agreement for the site coordinator or representative to review, sign and return.

Once the agreement is approved and executed, your Adopt-A-Road team will receive a personalized sign from the City that will be installed at the beginning and ending points along the adopted roadside.

Become a partner in the free Adopt-A-Road program and discover how rewarding this program is for a cleaner and healthier community.

For more information contact Jennifer Wilster or Megan Selva at 321-608-5080 email adoptaroad@mlbfl.org

City of Melbourne Receives $627,000 for Stormwater Treatment Project to Help Indian River LagoonRelated Story:
City of Melbourne Receives $627,000 for Stormwater Treatment Project to Help Indian River Lagoon

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