Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Wednesday thanked the thousands of volunteers who made the 2017 Great American Cleanup of PA a success.

In 2016, 171,576 volunteers removed over 5.5 million pounds of trash.  A complete report on the 2017 cleanup will be available late summer.

From March 1 through May 31, individuals, families, civic groups, schools, organizations and businesses came together to renew parks, trails and recreation areas, plant flowers and trees,  increase recycling and remove litter from our shared waterways and public lands.

These events united communities and set an example for others to follow.

"Our Borough of Jefferson Hills Earth Day cleanup continues to grow every year thanks to the cooperation of our families, businesses, students, scouting and civic groups. In addition, we could not have pulled off an event of this size without the great support provided to us by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful,” says Jane Milner, Borough Coordinator of Community Relations. "We are so proud of our beautiful, clean and green Borough."

“Keep Erie County Beautiful officially became an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful in early March, making the Great American Cleanup of PA our first large event. It was a great way for us to get our name out there, let folks know who we are and what we can do to help the community. We had an overwhelmingly positive response from the community with so many people reaching out to us for help coordinating community or school projects and we are very appreciative of their efforts. Making these great connections now with so many great people will help make it easier to find future volunteers for community projects like this,” said Brittany Prischak, Sustainability Coordinator, Erie County Department of Planning and Keep Erie County Beautiful Coordinator.

“We want to thank each and every one of the Great American Cleanup of PA volunteers who joined together to create positive change and a lasting impact on our local environment. Whether events were large or small, they all made a difference! It is your commitment to being stewards of our communities that helps make this event a success year after year,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “Our work would not be possible without the commitment and dedication of local volunteers and the support of our partners. Thank you.”

This annual event is held in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup and led by a coalition of non-profit, state agency and business partners such as the Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, PA Waste Industries Association, the PA Food Merchants Association, Weis Markets, Inc., Wawa, Inc., Sheetz, Giant Food Stores, Inc., ShopRite and The Fresh Grocer.

Additional 2017 event supporters include: PA Beverage Association, Steel Recycling Institute, Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, Giant Eagle Inc., Republic Services, Clean Earth and Wegmans Food Markets.

During the three-month long initiative, registered participants received free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests from PennDOT district offices. From April 18th through May 8th, trash collected at registered events was taken to participating facilities for free or at a reduced rate.

All 67 counties in Pennsylvania were represented in the 2017 Great American Cleanup of PA.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.

Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up communities and keep them clean and KPB’s new Electronics Waste website.

NewsClips:

Thompson: Wolf To Veto Bill Banning Local Plastic Bag Bans, Fees

Wolf To Veto Plastic Bag Bill Despite Bipartisan Support

Cities, Municipalities Will Keep Control Of Plastic Bag Bans

Crable: No Plans To Ban Glass From Recyclables In Lancaster As Harrisburg Did

Sorting Options On Keystone Landfill Expansion Plan

Editorial: Keystone Landfill Plan Isn’t About NE PA Trash

Salvage Yard Owner Must Stay In Prison For Refusing To Clean Up His Mess

Related Story:

Keep PA Beautiful Announces Winners Of Great American Cleanup of PA Video Contest

[Posted: June 21, 2017]

6/26/2017