PennDOT is seeking volunteers for this year’s Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania effort that runs through May 31.

The cleanup event is an annual effort sponsored by PennDOT, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, Department of Environmental Protection and other partners. Groups involved in PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program, which involves volunteers cleaning roadsides year round, are also encouraged to participate in the cleanup.

“These cleanup programs play a huge role in keeping Pennsylvania beautiful through cleaner roadsides and communities,” said PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch. “It’s my hope that more individuals get involved and join the thousands of dedicated volunteers that participate in these efforts year after year.”

Interested individuals can find a listing of cleanup events, resources for organizing a cleanup, and other information about the effort online.

Groups interested in adopting a section of highway are encouraged to contact their local PennDOT County Maintenance office and ask for the AAH coordinator, or visit the Highway Beautification webpage.

During last year’s Great American Cleanup, 6.7 million pounds of litter was collected from Pennsylvania’s roads, trails and shorelines by more than 141,000 volunteers. PennDOT’s AAH program contributed nearly 78,000 volunteers who cleaned up nearly 53 percent of the collected litter on 10,960 miles of cleaned up roadway.

Video Contest

This year, cleanup partner Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is hosting its first-ever Great American Cleanup Video Contest. Interested individuals can send a three-to-five-minute video of their cleanup event to Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful by May 24, with eventual voting on the group’s Facebook page.

Through the AAH program, volunteers collect litter on a two-mile section of state highway four times a year. The program currently has nearly 7,000 participating groups, more than 125,000 volunteers and 15,834 miles of adopted state-maintained roadways.

In addition to the event, during the “Pick it Up PA Days” from April 20 to May 6 registered events have access to free disposal at participating landfills. PennDOT provides gloves, trash bags and safety vests to AAH and Great American Cleanup of PA groups.

4/1/2013