Q: I have never written to a newspaper before but as my blood pressure elevates, I need to vent.

Why are California freeways so trashy? I’ve driven in many other states and never seen anything like the trash we have in our state. Recently we drove from Pleasanton to Emeryville. Every foot of the roadside seemed covered in trash.

A lot are things you can’t imagine just blew out of a car. There was a full-sized couch and loveseat along the road in the Fruitvale area.

Between the election and the virus, things are depressing enough. It would be nice to go for a ride and see a nice, clean countryside.

Christie Underwood, Pleasanton

A: Yes, it would, and finally, some hopeful news. Caltrans has resumed roadside cleanups, which were suspended due to the pandemic. Crews will be busy, especially in the East Bay, which has become the latest litter hotspot.

Q: I am amazed at how much trash is along interstates 580 and 880 to 98th Avenue. It really is a disaster. … Highway 24 is covered in litter.

Ellen Macneale, George Williams, and more

A: It’s not just in the East Bay.

Q: Have you driven on 101 lately? What an eyesore. Between Woodside and Embarcadero it’s littered with large quantities of trash. Plead with readers to practice what responsible hikers and campers do: If you pack it in, you pack it out.

Kate Daly,  Woodside 

A: And …

Q: The amount of trash on our roads doesn’t surprise me. El Camino Real, Highway 1, Interstate 280, Highway 17 are all trashed. This is what I think:

  • Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway program is not working. 
  • Litter only attracts more litter, compounding the problem.
  • When the rains come, all that garbage will find its way into storm drains that empty into our creeks, rivers and the bay. Even animal carcasses are left on the side of our freeways.
  • Broken or damaged road signs are not picked up.
  • Graffiti is everywhere.
  • Abandoned homeless encampments are left as blight.

Scott Paul, San Jose

A: Scott has taken hundreds of photos to document this depressing situation. Also, Adopt-A-Highway groups may be smaller because some volunteers are elderly and in one of the virus’s highest at-risk categories.

Q: I visited Japan last year and walked many streets.  I do not recall even one cigarette butt. Every roadway and sidewalk was spotless. I also noticed very few public garbage cans, so I asked a native how that could be. She said, “Everyone is expected to take home any trash they take out.”

Wayne Menuz, San Jose

A: An admirable attitude we need to import.

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