Call for pictures: The junk by the side of the road

The fourth annual “Operation Cleanup” begins today, according to the office of Gov.Tim Pawlenty. A work crew from the correctional facility in Stillwater will be picking up the trash at the intersection of I-35 and Kellogg Blvd in St. Paul this morning, according to a news release from the governor’s office, suggesting that photographers for the news media come snap pictures of them.

Here’s a better idea. Take pictures of the trash. During “lean” times, the litter tends to pile up on the side of the highways. Let’s see what’s in your neck of the woods. Grab a camera this week, shoot a picture of the trash (all the cigarette butts at intersections is always a good shot. Then, send it to me.

According to the state’s Adopt A Highway Web site, volunteers pick up “litter” along 12,000 miles of Minnesota roadways, picking up 26,000 tons of trash. That number is either wrong, or we’re bigger pigs than many of us thought. That works out to two tons of trash per mile per year.