Keep PA Beautiful: Nearly 130,000 Participated In 2015 Great American Cleanup of PA

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Thursday announced that over 128,157 volunteers participated in the 2015 Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Great American Cleanup of PA and collected 300,186 bags, or 6,003,720 pounds of trash, cleaned 11,943 miles of roads, railroad tracks, trails, waterways, and shorelines, and 6,422 acres of park and/or wetlands and planted 13,050 trees, bulbs, and plants in an effort to keep Pennsylvania beautiful.

As in years past, all 67 counties participated in this annual community improvement event. A copy of the 2015 Great American Cleanup of PA final report is available online.  
(Photo: From Little Beaver 4H Clubs cleanup in Lawrence County.) 

This annual event is held in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup and in partnership with support from the Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, PA Waste Industries Association, the PA Food Merchants Association, Weis Markets, Inc., Wawa, Inc., Sheetz, ShopRite and The Fresh Grocer.

Additional 2015 event supporters include: Steel Recycling Institute, Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, Giant Eagle Inc., Giant Food Stores, Inc., Republic Services and Wegmans Food Markets.

“We are so grateful to our volunteers and sponsors who helped make the Great American Cleanup of PA successful again this year.” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “It is because of the volunteers on the ground coordinating and carrying out events in their communities and countless partners and sponsors supporting their work, that make this such a successful program year in and year out.”

The Great American Cleanup of PA is sponsored by Keep America Beautiful.  The 2015 national sponsors were Lowe’s, Glad, Niagara, Dow, Altria and BNSF.

2016 Cleanup

The 2016 Great American Cleanup of PA will begin on March 1 and end on May 31.  During this period, events registered through the Great American Cleanup of PA website will receive free bags, gloves, and vests from PennDOT District offices, as supplies last.  

Events can include litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, beautification projects, special collections, and educational events.  

As part of this event, the Department of Environmental Protection and the PA Waste Industries Association will sponsor Let’s Pick It Up PA – Everyday from April 16 - May 9.  During the Pick It Up PA Days, registered events will be able to take the trash collected during their cleanup to participating landfills for free or reduced disposal.  

Registration for the Great American Cleanup of 2016 will open in mid- January.