PA Environment Digest

Keep York County Beautiful was developed with the support of the York County Commissioners and Penn State Cooperative Extension - York County - West Nile Virus Program.

Thomas Smith will serve as the Affiliate Coordinator. Mr. Smith works for the West Nile Virus Program as the program’s Administrator. Keep York County Beautiful will serve York County minus the City of York, which is served by Keep America Beautiful affiliate Keep York Beautiful.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, a nonprofit organization based in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, has the mission of empowering Pennsylvanians to make our communities clean and beautiful.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful carries out their mission with the help of nineteen Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful affiliates and six Keep America Beautiful local affiliates across the state.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, along with their affiliates, have engaged more than 1,100,000 volunteers and nearly 15,000 communities in keeping Pennsylvania beautiful. They have properly disposed of almost 80 million pounds of littered trash from our communities and cleaned more than 93,000 miles of roadways, streams, trails, and greenways.

The organization’s three focus areas are Prevent It (litter and illegal dump prevention), Clean It (cleanup and community greening), and Keep It (proper waste handling and sustainable practices). By engaging volunteers, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful extends the reach of its educational efforts and multiplies the impact of its actions.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful believes education is the key to encourage positive behaviors toward community improvement and that improving communities, their environment, and quality of life all begins with personal responsibility.

In July, 2010, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful released its report on illegal dumps in York County. The Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful survey of the county, done in partnership with the Penn State Cooperative Extension - York County - West Nile Virus Program, identified 274 illegal dumpsites containing an estimated 263 tons of trash. The survey found that 36 of the 72 municipalities in the county have illegal dumping activity.

Illegal dumpsites pose many threats to the health and safety of humans and wildlife, including giving mosquitoes a place to breed. West Nile Virus, carried by mosquitoes, has been a primary concern for environmental officials.

An initial goal of Keep York County Beautiful will be to work with volunteer groups, municipalities, and community partners to get these sites cleaned and have them remain clean.

Individuals and groups interested in volunteering can contact Keep York County Beautiful at 717-840-2375.

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