The local Rotarians have adopted one side of the highway between downtown Saratoga and Fruitvale Avenue, while the Jenkinses have adopted the other side.

The Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway program allows volunteers to select a stretch of a highway they want to maintain for a fixed period of time. If selected, volunteers will pick up litter from their side of the highway on a regular basis.

"My wife is from Saratoga. I grew up in Monte Sereno. We've lived here all our lives," John Jenkins said. "We wanted to give back to the community."

Jenkins said that he and his wife had been meaning to adopt a part of Highway 9 for a long time. "Four years ago, I put my name on the list," Jenkins said. "I called Caltrans every year but never got a positive answer." All that changed early this year when Caltrans said yes.

Since then, the Jenkinses have gone out twice to pick up the garbage by the side of the highway. "It takes us a couple of hours to clean it up. We start very early in the morning," Jenkins said.

Once the trash is in bags, the volunteers notify Caltrans so someone can be sent to pick the bags up.

"I think the cops should hand out more littering tickets and fewer speeding tickets," Jenkins said. "We found a lot of cigarette butts. Construction crews also seem to have thrown a lot of garbage around."

The Rotarians have adopted a stretch of Highway 9 for much the same reasons as the Jenkinses.

"We like to get out there and do something. It makes us more visible in the community," said Dan Floyd, the president of the local chapter.

"It is a worthy cause because it all goes back to the community," added Joan Pisani, a Rotarian who has coordinated a few of the cleanup efforts. She said another clean-up is scheduled for the summer.

"My wife is just as excited as I am. When we have children and they grow older, I want them to participate, too," Jenkins said.