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Nearly 160,000 Volunteers Pick Up 7 Million Pounds Of Trash In Great American Cleanup
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159,922 volunteers in this year's Great American Cleanup of PA collected 354,267 bags, or 7,085,340 pounds of trash, cleaning 13,140 miles of roads, railroad tracks, trails, waterways, and shorelines, and 5,887 acres of park and/or wetlands in 4,222 separate cleanup events.

            In addition, volunteers planted 3,321 trees, bulbs, and plants in an effort to keep Pennsylvania beautiful.
            These statistics reflect results reported to Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and for PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway Program.
            This annual event is in partnership with support from the Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, PA Waste Industries Association, and partnering agencies and local businesses including the American Chemistry Council, Keystone Sanitary Landfill, Pennsylvania Beverage Association, Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, Steel Recycling Institute, and Waste Management.
            All 67 counties in Pennsylvania were represented in the Great American Cleanup of PA in 2011.
            “We are so grateful to the nearly 160,000 volunteers that pitched in to help keep Pennsylvania beautiful.” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “It is their commitment to community stewardship that makes this program successful year after year.”
            The 2011 Great American Cleanup of PA began on March 1st and ended on May 31st.  During this period, registered events could get free bags, gloves, and vests from PennDOT District offices.  Events included litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, beautification projects, special collections, and educational events.  Events were required to be registered through the Great American Cleanup of PA website to get these free cleanup supplies.
            As part of this event, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association sponsored Let’s Pick It Up PA – Everyday.  During the Pick It Up PA Days, registered events were able to take the trash collected during their cleanup to participating landfills for free disposal.  The Let’s Pick It Up PA – Everyday event began on April 16th and ended on April 30th.  The focus day was April 23rd.
            Since the inception of this event in 2004, over 61 million pounds of litter and waste have been removed from Pennsylvania’s landscape, and tens of thousands of trees, bulbs, and flowers have been planted.
            The Great American Cleanup of PA is sponsored by Keep America Beautiful.  The 2011 national sponsors were The Dow Chemical Company, Glad Trash Bags, LG, Lowe’s, Nestlé Pure Life Purified Water, Pepsi-Cola Company, ScottsMiracle-Gro Company, Solo Cup Company, Troy-Bilt, Waste Management, and Wrigley’s.
            A copy of the 2011 Great American Cleanup of PA report is available online.

8/8/2011

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