There is still time to participate in the 2018 International Coastal Cleanup.  Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful invites residents, civic organizations and businesses to coordinate a cleanup or join an existing cleanup as part of the initiative. 

The health of our planet is dependent upon the health of our oceans.  Help our oceans by cleaning up your corner of the planet.

“Cleaning up your local park or street that you live on might seem unrelated to healthy waterways, especially when there isn’t any water in sight, but I think we have all seen litter blocking storm drains. Cleaning up that litter before it has a chance to be washed down any storm drain or blown into any creek will significantly reduce the amount of trash that reaches our oceans,” explained Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “Please do your part and register a cleanup in your neighborhood today.”

All cleanup sites, land or water, are eligible. A significant portion of waterway pollution originates on land.

When it rains, trash on sidewalks and streets accumulates in the gutter and is swept into storm drains. Most storm drain systems discharge directly into the nearest creek or river, eventually flowing to the ocean taking all the trash with it.

The International Coastal Cleanup is the world’s largest volunteer effort to improve the health of our oceans.  ICC events can be held from September 1st through October 31st. 

Gloves and bags are available for registered events while supplies last.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is proud to coordinate this effort in Pennsylvania. In 2017, nearly 14,000 volunteers from 35 counties canvassed their communities to remove 861,655 pounds of trash and debris from Pennsylvania’s lands, waterways and coastal regions during the International Coastal Cleanup event.

The Ocean Conservancy’s annual International Coastal Cleanup engages hundreds of thousands of volunteers from around the world to remove millions of pounds of plastics and debris from beaches, lakes and waterways. 

This event has grown to include participation by all 50 states and U.S. territories and 90 countries with the number growing each year.

Click Here for tools and resources to help organize a safe and successful cleanup.

For questions regarding the International Coastal Cleanup, should be directed to Michelle Dunn, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s International Coastal Cleanup Coordinator, at 1-877-772-3673 Ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.

Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up communities and keep them clean and KPB’s Electronics Waste website.

NewsClips:

400 Volunteers In Harrisburg Remove 1 Million Pounds Of Trash From Streets

PRC Educator: Composting Turns Waste Into Garden Gold

Lackawanna County Collects 430,000 Pounds Of Electronics To Be Recycled

Op-Ed: Banning Plastic Straws, Bags Isn’t Enough To Save Our Oceans

[Posted: Oct. 10, 2018]

10/15/2018