Lake Erie Cleanup Clears Nearly 19,400 Pounds of Trash With More Than 1,200 Volunteers

An impressive 1,257 volunteers picked up 72,763 pieces of trash adding up to 19,395 pounds during the seventh Pennsylvania-Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.

The results of the September 19 regional cleanup were announced this week at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center.

The Department of Environmental Protection, along with other state agencies, community leaders and organizations, coordinated the yearly cleanup at 15 sites throughout northern Erie County in rural areas and downtown Erie.

“The goal of this cleanup is to prevent littering through public action and education,” said DEP Regional Director Kelly Burch. “Litter creates ecological hazards and degrades the communities in which we live. The Pennsylvania-Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup is like a pep talk, encouraging Erie County residents to do the right thing when disposing of trash and unwanted items.”

Area colleges provided at least half of the volunteers.

“We offer a big ‘thank you’ to those students and other volunteers who woke up early on a Saturday morning in September to stuff trash bags with items someone else had carelessly had tossed away,” said Presque Isle State Park Environmental Education Specialist Emily Borcz. “Every year, event organizers are amazed at the number of people who contribute their time and effort to make this event such a success.”

Pennsylvania-Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup documented on data cards every piece of trash that was collected, including: 39,784 cigarette butts and cigar tips, 5,742 beverage containers, 7,831 food wrappers and containers, 4,792 beverage caps/lids/straws and 4,941 plastic bags.

In the past seven years, 4,647 local volunteers have collected and documented 90,706 pounds of trash within the Lake Erie watershed.

Students from seven 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.

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