Litter on U.S. 101
I am amazed at the amount of litter that has accumulated in the center divider of U.S. 101 from South San Jose to Gilroy. The edges of the highway seem to get cleaned up occasionally, but the center never gets touched.
Who is responsible for this work and how can we get the center divider area cleaned up?
- Dear anti-highway litter: To answer your question, caller, we contacted Brigetta C. Smith, the spokeswoman for Caltrans. She notified Red Phone that Caltrans started a litter pickup program with a contractor a few weeks ago and the agency did some clean up of the median area along a stretch of Highway 101, with a lane closure in place. However, Smith said litter is an ongoing problem and a tough one to combat. It has been Caltrans’ experience that its maintenance workers clean an area thoroughly and in two days the portion of the highway median is littered once again. The litter contractor will continue to work with Caltrans to abate litter along the 101 corridor, including the median areas, she said. Smith said readers can provide the best assistance in this matter by tying down loose loads on trucks, securing items in vehicles before opening windows, and generally by not tossing trash from vehicles.
Recycled batteries
How do I recycle old batteries? I have no idea where I can take them.
- Dear Eco-Friendly: Good question, caller. As you know, batteries contain numerous toxins and metals that we don’t want to leach into our landfills. Red Phone moseyed up to the Web site for South Valley Disposal & Recycling Inc. where there is a great pamphlet that you can download that outlines many different materials and how they should be handled at your recycling bins. We went ahead and look up batteries and here’s what it said:
“Household batteries: Put AAA through D, 9V, alkaline, rechargeable and button cell batteries in a zippered plastic bag on your paper recycling bin. No car batteries.”
What are the mounds for?
There are piles of dirt near northbound U.S. 101 at Cochrane Road. What’s happening there?
- Dear Highway Observer: To answer your question, Red Phone contacted Caltrans spokeswoman Brigetta C. Smith who quickly went to work to investigate the piles of dirt with the Caltrans construction and maintenance crews.
According to Smith, the consensus seems to be that the dirt is located on private property near the state right of way. Red Phone drove by this section of the highway and was unable to locate the mounds you’re referring to, caller. So please give us more information about the location and we’ll keep digging. If you would like to Smith directly, she can be reached at (510) 286-5820.
