Anaheim Couple Take to the Road to Pick Up Litter

Glen and Susan Hanket’s lives are still consumed with trash and miles and miles of road.

The Anaheim couple has spent the better part of the past 15 months walking across the United States to pick up litter. To date, they have walked nearly 3,000 miles and filled more than 1,000 bags with at least two tons of trash, says Glen Hanket.

“We just can’t believe how filthy the roads are, even out in the middle of cornfields,” he said. “But we can always tell what highways are part of an Adopt-a-Highway program. They are much cleaner. It really makes a difference.”

Among the more unexpected items they have found are a butterfly collection, a teddy bear and, in a Midwestern cornfield, a pile of German and Polish pornographic magazines.

The Hankets, both 38, began their venture in April, 1993, after Glen took a voluntary layoff from his job as a software engineer at Rockwell and Susan quit her paralegal position.

For six months, they walked and filled trash bags from Maine to Missouri, covering 1,800 miles, and have paused to talk to reporters from time to time. They broke for the winter, resuming their trek in Missouri in April.

Hanket said they cover about 13 to 15 miles a day. They plan to end their journey on the Washington coast on Halloween.