Keep PA Beautiful Tuesday announced registration is now open for the 2015 Great American Cleanup of PA which runs from Marcy 1 to May 31.

This annual event is held in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup and in partnership with support from the Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, PA Waste Industries Association, the PA Food Merchants Association, Weis Markets, Inc., Wawa, Inc., Sheetz, ShopRite and The Fresh Grocer.

Additional 2015 event supporters include: Steel Recycling Institute, Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, Giant Eagle Inc., Giant Food Stores, Inc., Republic Services and Wegmans Food Markets.

“We are so grateful to our volunteers and sponsors who help make the Great American Cleanup of PA possible.” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep PA Beautiful. “We are hoping to get even more Pennsylvania’s to make the Great American Cleanup of PA an annual event.”

“DEP is proud to sponsor this annual cleanup event that does so much good for Pennsylvania’s environment,” DEP Acting Secretary John Quigley said.  “By getting involved in a local cleanup, volunteers help us protect our roadsides and waterways from pollution, and improve our quality of life.”

During the cleanup, registered events can get free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests from PennDOT district offices, as supplies last. Events can be litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, beautification projects, special collections, and educational events and must be registered through the Great American Cleanup of PA website to receive free cleanup supplies.

As part of this event, the Department of Environmental Protection and PA 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 11th and end on May 4th. The focus day will be April 25th.

All 67 counties in Pennsylvania were represented in the 2014 Great American Cleanup of PA. In total, there were 5,349 events with 136,507 volunteers.

Volunteers collected 6,359,872 pounds of trash. They cleaned 13,603 miles of roads, railroad tracks, trails, waterways, and shorelines, and 9,113 acres of park and/or wetlands.

Additionally, volunteers planted 31,406 trees, bulbs, and plants in an effort to keep Pennsylvania beautiful. 

A copy of the 2014 Great American Cleanup of PA final report is available online.

Since the inception of this event in 2004, 1,565,967 volunteers removed 80,575,227 pounds of litter and planted 136,321 trees, bulbs, and flowers.

For more information or to register your events, visit the Great American Cleanup of PA website or contact Michelle Dunn, Great American Cleanup of PA Program Coordinator, at 1-877-772-3673 ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org. 

2/9/2015