Protect: Litter Prevention

Project Options

South Aiken AAH

Adopt-A-Spot/street/Highway/Stream/waterway

Students, teachers, and families take ownership over their environment by participating in Adopt-A-Spot, Adopt-A-Street, Adopt-A-Highway, Adopt-A-Stream, or Adopt-A-Waterway programs. Through these programs students take part in preserving and maintaining spots, streets, sections of a highway, stream or waterway in their community. Clean-ups occur several times a year. Students become stewards of public land, educate fellow citizens, increase the quality of life for their community, and save taxpayer dollars by performing this valuable public service.

Adopt-A-Highway program is sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.  Click here to download a brochure. If your school wants to Adopt-A-Highway they must agree to adopt at least two miles of highway and participate in four cleanups per year. Your school must also: make a two year commitment, choose a group leader, and sign and submit an Adopt-A-Highway agreement form. Click here to get started and also check out additional programs below under Litter Prevention Resources.

South Aiken High School (pictured on left) has partnered with Adopt-A-Highway since 2007 to keep the roadways around their school facility clean and free of debris. In 2010 their faculty, the Serteens, the Interact Club, Environmental Science students, and other organizations participated and collected more than 25 thirty gallon trashbags of litter!

Other Litter Pickup Activities

Beach Sweep/River Sweep - Litter threatens the health and beauty of many of our treasured lakes, streams, and rivers, boat landings, and islands. Students learn more about water based pollution issues and what they can do to prevent them.

Each year since 2000, Nursery Road Elementary School students have participated in Beach Sweep River Sweep at Saluda Shoals Park. Students pick up litter, record litter data, and total the types of litter collected. Through their efforts and collaboration with Saluda Shoals Park, Nursery Road students have won many Champions of the Environment Awards and continue taking an interest in reducing litter on their playground, at home, and within their community.

Click here to find out about the annual South Carolina Department of Natural Resources' Beach Sweep/River Sweep Event.

 PRMS CS pic
Clean Sweep - Four groups of students from Pine Ridge Middle School did a "Clean Sweep" of the roads near their school (pictured above).

Litter Free School Zones - Litter Free School Zones are programs for students, teachers, families, and community members.  These programs are a fun and easy way for students to work together.  While keeping school grounds clean, students learn valuable community leadership and responsibility skills and gain a respect for the environment and world around them. Students learn about litter prevention, source reduction, and recycling while organizing a system for keeping their grounds free.  Some schools also host litter-free events at least once a year (sports events, assemblies, field trips, etc).

For information about Litter Free School Zone programs click: Keep Knoxville Beautiful, Keep Troup Beautiful, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, and Keep Nebraska Beautiful.

Protect: Litter Prevention Resources

Curriculum/Educational Resources

TAKE ACTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Useful Websites