The sixth year of the Pennsylvania-Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup was one for the record books: 1,305 volunteers collected 55,300 items of trash throughout the Lake Erie watershed to improve the local quality of life and to prevent future littering.

The Department of Environmental Protection, along with other state agencies, community leaders and organizations, organized the yearly cleanup and gave credit to two new cleanup areas in Erie for the big surge in numbers.

“Volunteers who signed up through the Erie Downtown Partnership and Little Italy Revitalization Association brought their energy and enthusiasm to areas within the watershed that had not previously been covered,” said DEP Regional Director Kelly Burch. “The number of trash items that were collected this year swelled to new highs in some categories. For instance, the number of cigarette butts nearly doubled from the amount we’ve recorded in past years.

“Even though these new cleanup areas aren’t directly next to the lake or a waterway, volunteers recognize that this trash is within the watershed and eventually would have reached Lake Erie.”

The primary collection date of September 20 was the official International Coastal Cleanup date. However, volunteers expanded the collection period to address new areas.

“Little Italy is one of Erie’s oldest neighborhoods and is on the threshold of major improvements,” said Little Italy Revitalization Association Project Manager Melanie Williams. “People respond to neighborhoods that are clean and attractive. International Coastal Cleanup is one of the tools that we are using to bring new life and pride to this historic area.”

The 25 volunteers who pitched in to cleanup Little Italy came from Erie County Juvenile Probation, Gannon University and Skaterie. The majority of the 100 Erie Downtown Partnership volunteers were students from Gannon University.

“Erie’s downtown is seen by thousands of people every day and what better way to make a good impression on residents, employers and visitors than to have clean streets and sidewalks?” asked Erie Downtown Partnership CEO Brenda Sandberg. “We look forward to participating again next year as a way to raise awareness about the importance of a clean environment to the image of a city and to supplement our organization’s new anti-littering campaign.”

Pennsylvania-Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup documented every piece of trash collected including:32,004 cigarette butts and cigar tips,5,165 beverage containers,8,420 food wrappers or containers,6,930 beverage caps/lids/straws and2,781 plastic bags.

In the past six years, 3,390 local volunteers have collected and documented 71,311 pounds of trash within the Lake Erie watershed. This year’s International Coastal Cleanup included more than a dozen sites, from Raccoon Creek in western Erie County to the northeast marina and Freeport Beach on the eastern end of the county.

Students from 10 Erie County schools participated in this year’s cleanup. The information gathered in past cleanups has been used as educational material for environmental programs in local schools and highlighted in the Erie Times-News Newspapers in Education section.

The International Coastal Cleanup is the oldest and largest volunteer project of its kind.

NewsClips: PA CleanWays Picks Up 15 Local Tons

Lake Erie Cleanup Nets 4 Tons Of Trash

Lake Erie Coastal Cleanup Collects 55,300 Pieces of Trash

11/21/2008