Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful announced registration is now open for the 2013 Great American Cleanup of PA.  Event coordinators can visit the Great American Cleanup of PA website to register their event. 

This annual event is held in conjunction with the Great American Cleanup of Keep America Beautiful and in partnership with support from the Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, and Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association. 

Additional partnering businesses include the American Chemistry Council, Greenstar Recycling, Pennsylvania Beverage Association, Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, Republic Services, Steel Recycling Institute, and Weis Markets.

The 2013 Great American Cleanup of PA will begin on March 1 and end on May 31.  During this period, registered events can get free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests from PennDOT district offices. 

Events consist of litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, beautification projects, special collections, and educational events.  Events must be registered through the Great American Cleanup of PA website to get these free cleanup supplies.

As part of this event, the Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association are sponsoring Let’s Pick It Up PA – Everyday. 

During the Pick It Up PA Days, registered event coordinators will be able to take the trash collected during their cleanup to participating landfills for free disposal.  The Let’s Pick It Up PA – Everyday event will begin on April 20 and end on May 6.  The focus day will be April 20th.

All 67 counties in Pennsylvania were represented in the 2012 Great American Cleanup of PA. There were 4,421 events with 141,264 volunteers.

Volunteers collected 338,148 bags of trash or 6,762,960 pounds. They cleaned 13,589 miles of roads, railroad tracks, trails, waterways, and shorelines, and 14,046 acres of parks and/or wetlands.

Additionally, volunteers planted 22,511 trees, bulbs, and plants in an effort to keep Pennsylvania beautiful.       

Since the inception of this event in 2004, over 68 million pounds of litter and waste have been removed from Pennsylvania’s landscape, and tens of thousands of trees, bulbs, and flowers have been planted.

To register your event, find an event near you, or to find additional resources on the Keep PA Beautiful Great American Cleanup of PA.  Any additional questions can be answered by Michelle Dunn, Great American Cleanup of PA Program Coordinator, at 1-877-772-3673 ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org. 

1/28/2013