Thousands of volunteers will be cleaning up roadsides across North Carolina in the fall Litter Sweep, which starts Saturday and runs through Sept. 29.

Along with local volunteers, the twice-a-year litter pick-up campaign includes state Department of Transportation maintenance crews, prison inmate crews and Adopt-a-Highway groups. This year’s spring campaign netted more than 1.5 million pounds of roadside litter.

The State Highway Patrol will be policing the roads for litterers, and for drivers with unsecured loads that can spill litter. Violators can be fined up to $2,000.

For details on how to participate in the Litter Sweep, contact the DOT Beautification Office at 800-331-5864 or online at www.ncdot.gov/~littersweep, or call your DOT county maintenance office.