​Volunteers Needed for Statewide Pennsylvania Cleanup, Beautification Effort

April 2017

Harrisburg, PA … The Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are seeking volunteers for this year’s Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania that begins March 1 and runs through May 31.

The cleanup is sponsored each year by PennDOT, DEP, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and other partners. Groups participating in PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) program, which involves volunteers cleaning roadsides year round, are also encouraged to participate in the cleanup.

Commenting on the Great American Cleanup of PA, PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said, “PennDOT is proud to join DEP and our other partners in organized efforts to keep Pennsylvania beautiful. Many thanks to the thousands of volunteers who are committed to this very worthwhile endeavor.”

PennDOT has created a comprehensive webpage that includes all volunteer opportunities available, from the Great American Cleanup of Pa and Adopt-A-Highway to Safety Training, Litter Brigades and more. Find it at http://penndot.gov/ and at the Beautification banner.

“Through their individual and collaborative actions, volunteers are significantly helping to eliminate and prevent pollution to our lands and waters,” DEP Acting Secretary Patrick McDonnell said. “And by adopting local roads and parks, they really do help beautify our green spaces.”

Also as part of this year’s cleanup, the PA Route 6 Alliance encourages residents near the Route 6 Heritage Corridor to register at www.paroute6.com/roundup.

During last year’s Great American Cleanup, 5,290,560 pounds of litter was collected from Pennsylvania’s roads, trails and shorelines by 158,821 volunteers. PennDOT’s AAH program contributed 8,046 volunteers who cleaned up nearly 23 percent of the collected litter on 10,258 miles of cleaned-up roadway.

Through PennDOT’s AAH program, volunteers collect litter on a two-mile section of state highway at least two times a year. The program currently has over 4,750 participating groups, more than 83,260 volunteers and 10,305 miles of adopted state-maintained roadways.

Gloves, trash bags and safety vests are provided by PennDOT, DEP, and the GLAD Products Company, a national sponsor of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup. In addition, during “Pick it Up PA Days” from April 18 to May 8, registered events have access to reduced or free disposal at participating landfills sponsored by PA DEP and the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association.