The N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is seeking volunteers to participate in the 2010 spring Litter Sweep, which will take place Saturday, April 17, until Saturday, May 1.

During the two-week event, NCDOT maintenance crews, Adopt-A-Highway groups, N.C. Department of Correction inmate crews, community service workers and other volunteers will take to the highways to remove roadside litter.

"Litter Sweep represents NCDOT's dedication to environmental awareness and partnership with the citizens of North Carolina," said Transportation Secretary Gene Conti. "Twice a year, Litter Sweep engages us to work together in roadside litter removal, which results in safer and cleaner North Carolina roadways."

The NCDOT Office of Beautification Programs coordinates the biannual event. Interested participants are asked to contact their local NCDOT county maintenance office to obtain cleanup supplies.

Volunteers are required to watch a safety video and wear safety gear. Participants are reminded to warm up by stretching before picking up litter and to drink plenty of water during the cleanup. Children between the ages of 12 and 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Volunteers in the 2009 spring and fall Litter Sweeps removed more than 4.6 million pounds of roadside litter from the state's roadsides, 200,000 more pounds than 2008.

During this event, the N.C. State Highway Patrol will be on alert and policing the roadways for motorists with unsecured loads and others who intentionally and unintentionally litter. Littering is an illegal, fineable offense. Upon conviction, the defendant can be fined up to $2,000, receive a point on their driver's license and be sentenced to community service work. Fines can double upon a second conviction.

A fall event is scheduled for the last two weeks of September.