28 Fewer Illegal Dumpsites In Northeast PA Thanks To PEC, Partners & Many Volunteers

The PA Environmental Council’s Community Illegal Dumpsite Cleanup Program returned to action this spring, as nearly 200 local volunteers hauled away upwards of 46 tons of waste and debris from sites across northeastern Pennsylvania.

In all, PEC’s partners and volunteers eradicated 28 illegal dumpsites during April and May. Participants donated more than 900 hours of their time to remove a total of:

-- 26.13 tons of trash

-- 2.31 tons of assorted metals

-- 1,377 tires weighing 20.13 tons

Here are some more specific results.

Pike County

Six sites were cleaned up in Pike County.  On May 10th six DCNR Foresters spent the day cleaning up four of those sites in the Delaware State Forest, then blocking access to motor vehicles.  Two other sites were cleaned up through volunteer efforts with 27 volunteers logging 162 total hours.  Nearly twelve tons of trash were removed and 138 tires recycled.

Partners included The Escape in Greentown and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Delaware Forest District.

Susquehanna County

PEC’s ongoing partnership with the Friends of Starrucca Creek and Southwestern Energy Marcellus Volunteer Council resulted in the cleanup of twenty sites in Susquehanna County.  As a result, 13.4 tons of trash, 2.31 tons of scrap metal, and 1,162 tires were removed by 156 volunteers working a total of 723 hours.

Volunteers came from Friends of Starrucca Creek, Southwestern Energy, NEPA Rail-Trail Council, Susquehanna High School, Endless Mountain Rod & Gun Club local scouting and religious groups, family, friends and neighbors. Participating municipalities included Susquehanna Depot Borough Lenox Township and Gibson Township.

Wayne County

Two more sites in neighboring Wayne County began the summer litter-free, thanks to the efforts of ten volunteers from the Friends of Starrucca Creek who worked 42 hours to collect 1,500 pounds of trash and 77 tires along Starruccca Creek.

A third event planned for Wayne County would have been our first cleanup of the year, if not for inclement weather. The site, located over an embankment off Adams Road in Manchester Township, was under five feet of snow on the originally scheduled date of March 25.

Unfortunately, the rescheduled cleanup also had to be scrapped when rain and mud again made the location inaccessible.

Support For Program

As an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and in partnership with Keep PA Beautiful and PennDOT, PEC received various types of in-kind support and services such as work gloves, glad bags, safety vests, banners, bottled water from Niagara, and free landfill space from the Alliance Landfill and Keystone Landfill.

Local sponsors also stepped up to provide materials and supplies, including refreshments donated by Pepsi and Middleswarth Chips, buckets from Lowe’s, and towelettes from Dickinson’s.

Total donations exceed $3,500.

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