PA CleanWays announced this week it has completed illegal dump surveys for 13 counties and the City of Pittsburgh, laying the groundwork for action to cleanup and make those sites safe.

At the same time, the Department of Environmental Protection recognized PA CleanWays for its efforts to combat the illegal dumping of trash and littering by surveying, assessing and documenting illegal dump sites across Pennsylvania.

The latest survey results were completed for Adams, Armstrong, Centre, Clarion, Forest, Franklin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Perry, Montgomery, Snyder, Warren and Westmoreland counties and the City of Pittsburgh.

“Illegal dump sites do more than create eyesores in our neighborhoods and on our landscapes,” DEP Secretary Hanger said. “They create direct threats to the health and safety of people and animals. Before dealing with a problem, you must first identify it. PA CleanWays is taking that important first step.”

PA CleanWays began surveying illegal dump sites in 2005. To date, surveys in 37 counties have identified 4,159 dump sites containing an estimated 14,493 tons of trash. The organization’s goal is to survey the entire state by 2014.

Completed survey results have shown that illegal dumping is a problem in urban and rural areas. For example, 279 illegal dump sites were identified in the city of Pittsburgh, while 105 sites were found in rural Perry County. Dump sites have been identified in municipalities that have mandatory trash collection and recycling programs, and many sites are still active.

“Cleaning up dump sites is costly and time-consuming,” Secretary Hanger said. “Disposing of trash properly, however, generates revenue through tipping fees at landfills and incinerators, which is used to fund other ventures, like the state’s recycling program. Unfortunately, these surveys confirm that many recyclable materials never make it into the system.”

Last fall, DEP awarded PA CleanWays a $1 million grant to aid its efforts. In addition to identifying the illegal dump sites, the organization is educating the public and raising awareness of the hazards of illegal dumping as well as resources for affordable disposal and recycling.

In April, DEP announced the first Illegal Dump Cleanup program. Nearly $500,000 was granted to help clean up 350 sites in 31 counties, some of which were identified through the dump site surveys.

“We need to move forward with identifying these sites and cleaning them up,” Secretary Hanger said. “We also need to work on preventing future cleanups from being necessary. Through proper trash disposal, we can help make our state a cleaner, safer place for everyone.”