27-03-2025
Your Stories Q&A: When will trash be cleared from area interstates?
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) – You ask, we answer!
Viewer Question: There's so much trash on the side of I-690. When will it be cleaned up?
It's the time of year when the Your Stories Team receives complaints from viewers about trash on the sides of area interstates.
Whether it's 690, 81, 481, or exit ramps, we routinely get emails from people wondering why there's so much litter on the side of the road.
Much of the sentiment is that it's a bad look for the region as visitors pass through.
It's far from a new problem and new question. When the snow melts, the litter that's been thrown and blown from passing cars is easy to spot.
The YS Team reached out to the NYSDOT to see if there's a plan in place to pick up roadside litter. We were sent the following statement:
The New York State Department of Transportation takes the issue of trash on our roadways – which becomes especially prevalent each year at the end of the snow and ice season – seriously and dedicates significant resources to litter pickup. NYSDOT crews routinely collect trash from along roadways in our system, including Interstate 690 in Onondaga County, as part of normal maintenance activities, weather permitting. Everyone, however, can play a role in preventing trash from accumulating along our roadsides. Litter is unsightly and harmful to the environment, which is why we all need to practice good disposal habits and encourage others to do the same. Clean roadways are safer for everyone and allow highway crews to focus on infrastructure maintenance and repair.
While the NYSDOT didn't provide specifics on the type of manpower dedicated to picking up trash, we do know they participate in an annual statewide 'Trash Blitz' that happens during Earth Week in April.
If you see a trouble spot, where debris needs to be cleared from the interstate or from the side of the road, you can report it to the NYSDOT Traffic Maintenance Center at (315) 426-2131.
Submit a form.
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