MoDOT has a new method to clean Missouri roadways that is safer, faster and more efficient than traditional hand-removal methods. The Barber Litter Picker is towed behind a tractor and uses a rake system to remove trash from medians and roadsides with flat terrain.

The department now owns six litter pickers and one road rake that are being used to clean up litter in the Central, Northwest, Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and Southeast districts. The litter picker can remove retreads, papers, cans, cardboard, cups, wood, roadkill and litter. It can cover up to eight acres per hour and hold 50 bags of trash at one time, while being completely operated by one person from the towing tractor.

“It usually takes two to three employees about an hour to cover one mile,” says MoDOT St. Louis District Maintenance Engineer, Becky Allmeroth. “The litter picker allows that same mile to be cleared by one person in about eight minutes.”

The time saved will allow crews to spend more time on roadway maintenance items like pavement repair, signing and drainage. Remember, for safety reasons, most adoptions do not require litter pick up in medians. Missouri incarcerated crews are responsible for this area.

Richard Shipley, MoDOT’s assistant district maintenance engineer in Kansas City says, “In an urban setting, the litter picker has the advantage of being able to handle unsightly trash and debris without exposing our employees to unnecessary traffic and hazards.”

MoDOT currently spends about $5-$6 million annually to clean up litter. It takes MoDOT maintenance and incarcerated crews 266,000 hours a year to pick up litter, and that doesn’t include the efforts of the volunteers in our Adopt-A-Highway program. These new machines
will help reduce our litter cleanup costs.