Any civic organization or environmentally concerned citizen may adopt a stretch of county or township roadway approximately 2 miles in length by phoning Recycling Coordinator, Linda Montgomery, in the Knox County Commissioners Office at 393-6704.

All necessary adoption forms and waivers are available on line or may be picked up in person in the Knox County Commissioners Office. Waivers must be completed by every adult and minor volunteer.

Waivers and all necessary forms must be returned to the Knox County Commissioners Office before any safety collection items will be dispersed. Safety collection items include: orange safety vests, disposal gloves, litter bags, sanitary hand wipes and a small First Aid kit. A litter prevention area “warning” sign and/or orange traffic cones are also available for the safety of volunteers servicing heavily traveled roadways.

Once the cleanup is finished, pile all debris and safety items together in a pre-designated area for pickup by the county. A Summary Report on what was collected may be left with the safety items or mailed to Linda Montgomery, Recycling Coordinator; Knox County Commissioners Office, 117 East High Street, Suite 161, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050.

• Volunteers should be at least 8 years old to participate in the program.
• Any volunteer under 18 shall have adult supervision.
• All volunteers must sign a waiver of participation. If the volunteer is under 18, a parent/guardian must also sign a waiver.
• A minimum of one (1) adult for each four (4) people under 18 is required.
• Sturdy hard-soled shoes should always be worn. Long pants and long sleeved shirts are encouraged to reduce the chance of cuts or scratches, also to reduce possible exposure to ticks. Bug repellent may also be necessary to fight off biting insects.
• Always carry a cell phone, if possible, and plenty of fresh water.
• When reaching your designation, please park all vehicles completely off the berm and not in a cluster along the roadway, which could greatly impair the view of motorist to spot a volunteer. If necessary, obtain an owner’s permission and use a driveway.
• Volunteers should be warned not to touch poison ivy, dead animals or any suspicious looking debris that they may find.
• Volunteers should also be reminded to kick old logs and tires before moving to dislodge any small animals such as mice or snakes.
• Always work facing oncoming traffic. If possible, designate a volunteer to spot traffic.
• Please limit your clean up area to no more than 10 feet from the roadway. Anything further is considered private property.
• 2 cleanups per year are required to maintain adopted roadway signage.
• Volunteer organizations that have successfully completed two full years of service (4 minimum clean-ups) will be awarded with a Litter Quitter sign designating their organization as adopter.

As is the case in many rural counties in Ohio, methamphetamine labs have recently become a problem in Knox County. Meth labs, as they are often called, are used to make methamphetamines, a very dangerous and illegal drug. The following is a list of items commonly found in conjunction with a Meth lab. If your group comes across several items in one specific location that fits the description of a meth lab; call
9-1-1, as soon as possible, with a detailed description of the location. Due to the risk of contamination do not pick up the items. Please keep in mind that any one of these items by itself can be very common. It is when several of these items are found together that suspicion should be raised. For more information about meth labs, please contact the Knox County Sheriff's Office at 740-393-6800.

• 20 lb propane cylinders/scuba tanks that have a bluish-green valve instead of the normal brass color
• Plastic bottles taped with a hose coming out of the top
• Several boxes of cold pills (such as Sudafed) or several medicine bottles all littered in one location
• Lithium batteries
• Starter fluid
• Drain Cleaner
• Iodine
• Coffee filters that are a strange color
• Funnels/Strainers
• Closed coolers or similar containers
• Several buckets or jugs in one location
• Glass cooking dishes (such as Pyrex)

Adopt a Roadway is offered by the Board of Knox County Commissioners in conjunction with the DKMM Solid Waste District.