Nearly 8,000 volunteers from 48 counties across Pennsylvania canvassed their communities to remove over 714,000 pounds of trash and debris from Pennsylvania’s waterways and coastal regions during the 2012 International Coastal Cleanup event.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is proud to be the Pennsylvania statewide coordinator for International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest volunteer effort to improve the health of the world’s oceans and local waterways.   

The International Coastal Cleanup is one of the largest international volunteer events. The Cleanup gives citizens around the world the opportunity to clean up their local waterways and to be a part of a larger movement. 

From September through October, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful worked together with local groups and organizations to coordinate 123 events throughout the state.

Volunteers in Pennsylvania documented the trash that was picked up and the “top five” types of trash found during the 2012 cleanup included: 27,581 Cigarette Butts; 11,570 Beverage Bottles (plastic); 8,742 Food Wrappers; 6,947 Caps and Lids; and 6,770 Beverage Cans.

County accomplishments included:

-- Erie County/DEP.  Most volunteers - 3,382.

-- Erie County/DEP.   Most cigarette butts collected - 13,664.

-- Luzerne County/A Environmental Council-Northeast region- Most pounds of trash removed - 94,390 pounds.

-- Cumberland County/PA CleanWays of Cumberland County.  Most tires collected - 2,570.

-- Erie County/Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.  Most plastic bottles collected - 3,524.

“The phrase we all live downstream is common, but in Pennsylvania it is a reality with our diverse topography and the amount of watersheds, small and large,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.  “Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful thanks all those involved in helping to prevent this litter from getting into our waterways.”

Funding for the International Coastal Cleanup coordination in Pennsylvania is provided by the Department of Environmental Protection.

1/14/2013