As residents of Pennsylvania seek recreation in public spaces, including parks and trails, this Independence Day weekend, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful issued an urgent reminder to properly dispose of trash and litter as they participate in 4th of July celebrations.

“As we approach a holiday weekend, we want to remind everyone that we all must continue to do our part to keep our parks, trails, waterways and streets safe and clean. It is imperative that we stay vigilant and properly dispose of litter, including PPE, and recyclables that could spread the novel coronavirus,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.  “Any bottles, cans, wrappers and even cardboard and plastic left behind after fireworks displays can be a health hazard and potentially harm wildlife. If you pack it in, you can pack it out.”

In addition to being a health hazard, there is a cost associated with cleaning up litter.

A Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful report supported by the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the participating cities, The Cost of Litter and Illegal Dumping in Pennsylvania, documented that just nine Pennsylvania cities collectively spent $68 million to prevent and clean up litter.

In addition, PennDOT spent over $65 million removing litter and debris from within highway rights of way across the state over a five-year period.

Among other things, this litter also pollutes our environment and affects our quality of life.

“Rarely do we think about the economic impact of litter. There is little doubt that our park and municipal personnel will be busy cleaning up our parks and neighborhoods next week. This money would be better spent elsewhere,” said Reiter.

For residents who would like to participate in safe and solo cleanups, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has a variety of cleanup tools and resources available, including cleanup safety guidelines on their website’s cleanup resources page

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.

The  2020 Pick Up Pennsylvania Initiative is postponed until September 1 through November 30.  Questions should be directed to Michelle Dunn at 1-877-772-3673 Ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.

Related Articles This Week:

Reports Released On Economic, Environmental Impacts Of Single-Use Plastics Bans/Fees

Joint Conservation Committee: Human & Environmental Benefits To Zero Waste Living

PA Resources Council Backyard Composting, Watershed/Rain Barrel, Recycling/Waste Reduction Webinars

Related Articles:

-- Keep PA Beautiful: 2.5 Million Volunteers, Partners Removed Over 147 Million Pounds Of Trash From PA Landscape Over Last 30 Years

-- Keep PA Beautiful Urges Residents To Take Pride In Pennsylvania-- A Pandemic Is No Reason To Litter

-- Keep PA Beautiful: Just 9 Cities In PA Spend More Than $68 Million A Year On Litter, Illegal Dumping Cleanup, Education, Enforcement & Prevention

[Posted: July 2, 2020]

7/6/2020