Noticing more trash on Minnesota highways? Here's what MnDOT is doing about it

MINNEAPOLIS — A dirty problem that normally rears its head in spring is making an early appearance across Minnesota: trash on the side of highways.

Normally this time of year, there's snowpack all across the state. That tends to hide all the trash that accumulates on the side of roads and highways. But no snow means no coverup this time.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation typically makes cleaning a priority in spring after the melt. It gets a lot of help from volunteers through their Adopt-A-Highway program in March and April.

Now, crews are normally focused on plowing and treating roads.

RELATED: Public works departments work ahead, scale back budgets in winterless year

Since that isn't as big of a need at the moment — crews will do some trash clean up — but projects related to driver safety will always take priority.

"This is a time for us to play catch up with a lot of those things that have not normally been able to be addressed during a winter season," said Jed Falgren, with MnDOT operations. "There's fence repair, tree removal, tree clean up, pothole patching. Obviously we can stay right on top of those things in a winter that isn't as snow filled as normal."

It's not just highway trash you're noticing. City streets have lots of debris as well.

Because of that, street sweepers have already been out and about. Minneapolis public works says they want to ensure the garbage doesn't end up in our water ways.

So that's a task they're handling now, along with pothole filling.