Pick Up Pennsylvania is the state’s largest community improvement program. This spring 51,000 volunteers collected 1.7 million pounds of trash and beautified 24,779 acres.
Local Volunteers
Behind those impressive statewide numbers are local organizations and volunteers working year after year to protect the places they call home.
One such organization is the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust, located in Huntingdon Valley, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
For the past 50 years, PERT volunteers have rolled up their sleeves every year to help keep their section of Pennypack Creek and the surrounding community clean, healthy, and beautiful.
What began as a local tradition has grown into a powerful example of what can happen when neighbors, organizations, and municipalities work together for a common cause.
This year, as part of the statewide Pick Up Pennsylvania initiative, six partners across the Pennypack Watershed united for a coordinated Creek Clean Up.
Volunteers of all ages spread out across six cleanup locations, including parks, trails, roadways, and streambanks, collecting litter and helping protect the watershed that connects their communities.
Partners included PERT, Upper Moreland Township, Lower Moreland Township, Lorimer Park, Pennypack Environmental Center, and Riverfront North Partnership.
Together, 169 volunteers removed 171 bags of trash from parkland, roads, and waterways.
Beyond cleaner landscapes, the effort strengthened community connections and advanced Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s mission of empowering Pennsylvanians to keep our communities clean and beautiful.
“Pick Up Pennsylvania helps bring people together around a shared responsibility for the places we care about. For PERT, it has strengthened partnerships throughout the Pennypack Watershed, brought new volunteers into the work, and made a meaningful difference for the creek and the communities connected to it,” said Kevin Roth, Director of Education & Outreach, Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust.
“We are already planning the next Pennypack Watershed-Wide Creek Clean Up for March 20, 2027. We hope to welcome additional partners from throughout the watershed and build on this year’s effort to make an even larger impact in 2027.”
Free Supplies
From September 1 through November 30, volunteers will be provided trash bags, gloves, and safety vests, provided by the Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, and the Ocean Conservancy, as supplies last, when they register a cleanup with Pick Up Pennsylvania.
Both waterway and land-based cleanups are eligible for the program since a significant portion of waterway pollution originates on land.
Wind and rain wash litter into storm drains or directly into creeks and rivers that eventually flow to the ocean where it impacts marine life, human health, and coastal economies.
"While Pennsylvania isn't on the coast, it does have about 86,000 miles of streams and rivers that eventually reach the ocean. Plus, the state is part of five major watersheds,” said Rob Dubas, Pick Up Pennsylvania Program Coordinator.
“This means those littered cigarettes and food wrappers in a parking lot can eventually reach the ocean and travel thousands of miles. We are thankful for all of the dedicated volunteers who take the time each season to pick up litter on roads, streams, parks, and more. You can join them in making a difference. All cleanups, large or small, help keep trash out of our water."
Find/Register A Cleanup Event
Join an existing cleanup event by visiting Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Calendar of Events.
Register your own event, large or small, by visiting KPB’s Pick Up Pennsylvania webpage.
Lens On Litter Photo Contest
As an added incentive to get outside and clean up, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is sponsoring the 2026 Pennsylvania Resources Council, Gene Capaldi Lens on Litter photo contest, “Before and After” category.
Participants are eligible for a prize of $500.
One adult and one student winner will be awarded. To qualify, submissions in this category must be from a Pick Up Pennsylvania reported event.
All Lens on Litter photo contest rules and requirements must be followed and the deadline is October 31.
Click Here to enter the Lens On Litter Contest.
Events must be registered with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Pick Up Pennsylvania program to receive the free supplies and to be eligible for the Lens on Litter – Before and After prize.
KPB Annual Conference
Keep PA Beautiful will hold its Annual Conference on October 14-15 in Reading, Berks County.
Click Here to register and for more information.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, visit their YouTube Channel.
(Photos: Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust volunteers clean up a section of Pennypack Creek and the surrounding community.)
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[Posted: August 25, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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