Workers and volunteers removed dozens of discarded tires and nearly 16 tons of other waste from five illegal dumpsites in northeastern Pennsylvania this fall, under PEC’s Community Illegal Dumpsite Cleanup Event Program.

The sites were among 13 evaluated for cleanup in Wayne County during October and November. Cleanup events in Berlin Township and Damascus Township yielded a total of 8.1 tons of trash, 7.7 tons of metal, and 64 tires.

Later, on November 19th, a small group of volunteers scrambled down a steep roadside embankment in Scott Township to retrieve mattresses, furniture, car parts, and other debris from the shores of the Upper Delaware River.

The crew used ropes to haul up seven car tires and one ton of otherwise inaccessible junk from the hillside.

December Cleanups

Work continues into December, as PEC closes out the year with cleanup events planned for sites in Springville Township, Susquehanna County; and in Dingman Township, Pike County, where DCNR Forestry has scheduled three cleanups December 13-15.

To volunteer for these cleanups or for more information on the program, contact Janet Sweeney, PEC Northeast Regional Office, by calling 570-718-6507 or send email to: jsweeney@pecpa.org.

Since the inception of this program in 2007 over PEC has cleaned up over 140 illegal dumpsites in 12 counties, removing over 900 tons of trash, over 100 tons of scrap metal and over 300 tons of tires from the environment.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Environmental Council website, visit the PEC Blog, follow PEC on Twitter or Like PEC on Facebook.  Visit PEC’s Audio Room for the latest podcasts.  Click Here to receive regular updates from PEC.

[Posted Dec. 1, 2016]

12/5/2016