Most people do not think picking up trash is fun.  But for Richard McAllister of Piedmont, cleaning up litter is his passion. 

McAllister first adopted a 2-mile stretch of highway along Route 49 in Wayne County in 2002.  Since then the retired McAllister has continued to adopt, and now cleans almost all of northwest Wayne County.  McAllister picks up approximately 100 miles of roadway every two weeks—that’s roughly 8 miles a day.

"We're proud of Richard's contributions," said Maintenance Superintendent Butch Anderson. "When you drive into the northern part of Wayne County, you don't see glass bottles and trash along the roads. Richard's work is very evident."

McAllister isn’t all alone, however. In 2006, he hired someone to assist him in picking up litter along Wayne County’s roadways.  He also created Citizens Against Trash, a non-profit group, to raise money and help clean up Missouri, although some of his funding comes from McAllister’s own bank account. 

Because of his devotion, McAllister received the Adopt-A-Highway Appreciation Award at a ceremony at the Trinity United Methodist Church in Piedmont on January 15th. 

“It’s an honor to have Mr. McAllister in our part of the state,” said Intermediate Community Relations Specialist Belinda McMurry. “Mr. McAllister is generous and selfless man. He is someone that always goes the ‘extra mile’ for his family, neighbors and community. We are lucky to have such a great man in our district doing so many great things with the Adopt-A-Highway program.”

McAllister has become one of the top adopters in the state, but still has loftier goals. He says he would like to eventually pick up all of western Wayne County.