Garbage on the Greek highway

Leigh-Anne Brown Arizona Daily Wildcat Trash litters the side of Interstate 10 inside the boundaries of Kappa Sigma's Adopt -A- Highway strip. According to highway transportation records, the fraternity has not cleaned their "adopted highway" since Jan. 1995.

"If it's really dirty, we probably need to get out more," said David Suiter, the Kappa Sigma contact to the Arizona Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway program.

Kappa Sigma adopted a section of Interstate 10 north of Marana, that was evidently dirty last week.

Suiter said he was not aware Kappa Sigma's portion of the highway needed attention.

Donna Jones, a permit technician for the Arizona Department of Transportation, said she also hadn't received any complaints about the littered highway.

"We don't get that many complaints, but a lot of times people don't know where to complain," she said.

Jones said if a complaint is filed, the organization responsible for the area is contacted and asked to clean the litter.

"We wait long enough for the group to reasonably fill the commitment," she said. "If the group shows no motivation, three strikes and they're out," she said.

Jones said a reasonable time can be up to two months if the weather is poor. She said other issues, such as if there is a prison crew working in the area, or if there is oil on the road, also affect the scheduling.

However, if the commitment isn't completed, road signs advertising the group are removed and their section is given away.

But Jones said sometimes filling the commitment is more difficult than it sounds.

In addition to timing difficulties, University of Arizona groups are transient, and contacts change from year to year, she said.

Additionally, while the group is provided with bags, transportation to the stretch and the bright orange vests, cleaning the highway is sometimes dangerous and sometimes difficult.

"I'm afraid the first time a group goes out, there is so much work, and they have such a hard time, that the second time, they have a hard time finding volunteers," she said.

Jones said she has about 20 Greek organizations participating in the program, and added other UA groups, like ROTC and the American Society of Civil Engineers, also have sponsored sections of road.

Suiter said Kappa Sigma cleans their area once a semester.

"We do this to do our part and help clean up things and make it look better," he said. "If it's dirty, I've got to mobilize my guys and get out there."

Suiter and Jones both said the recent storms likely picked up a lot of garbage previously unnoticed.

"We're willing to get out, but we don't know when it's dirty," Suiter said.

The Adopt-A-Highway program is a two-year commitment and Jones said her department expects to see volunteers clean their sections at least two times a year, or whenever the litter in the area gets out of control.

"In general, I think there should be more commitment," she said. "Some groups do a good job and others lack in the follow-through."

Suiter said his clean-up crew was scheduled to be in the area in January.