Community Corner

Help Wanted: Keeping Pennsylvania Beautiful

PennDOT asks residents to volunteer for the Great American Cleanup of PA.

By this time of year, discarded fast-food wrappers, bottles and other unsavory roadside attractions — otherwise known as litter — add little to the blooming areas running parallel to some of Pennsylvania's busiest throughways.

That's why the State Department of Transportation is enlisting volunteers to take part in the Great American Cleanup of PA, which runs through May 31.

"Pennsylvania is very fortunate to have thousands of volunteers who turn out every year to clean up our communities and roadsides," acting PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch said in a statement. "These dedicated individuals help keep Pennsylvania beautiful and save taxpayers' dollars with their efforts to clean up after these careless people."

Find out what's happening in Peterswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A listing of cleanup events, resources for organizing one, and other information can be gleaned by visiting www.gacofpa.org. Those interested in adopting a section are asked to visit www.dot.state.pa.us.

More than 186,000 volunteers cleaned 19,373 miles of roads, trails and shorelines in Pennsylvania during last year’s Great American Cleanup event, collecting 12 million pounds of trash.

Find out what's happening in Peterswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Of the cleanup’s totals, PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program volunteers accounted for a record 12,278 miles cleaned with their efforts. These volunteers collected 3.7 million pounds of litter.  

The 7,128 groups in the Adopt-A-Highway program, with their 130,730 volunteers, have two-year commitments and have adopted 16,475 roadway miles, according to the release. PennDOT requires that Adopt-A-Highway volunteers complete four cleanups per year, and the groups are encouraged to join in the Great American Cleanup of PA.

Emphasis is placed on yearly Pick It Up PA days, which will run from April 16-30 this year.  

PennDOT provides gloves and safety vests for Adopt-A-Highway and Great American Cleanup of PA groups.


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