While littering and illegal dumping are often discussed as social or environmental problems, rarely do we think about their economic impact.

Over five years, 2014 through 2018, the Department of Transportation (PennDOT) spent over $65 million removing litter from within highway rights-of-way.

The costs of dealing with litter and illegal dumping are quite large for communities as well, but are often obscured because they are dispersed across various governmental departments, community-based organizations and volunteer groups.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful documented in their 2019 study, The Cost of Littering and Illegal Dumping in Pennsylvania, that just nine cities in Pennsylvania spend $68 million annually on cleanup, education, enforcement and prevention efforts to address litter and illegal dumping throughout their respective communities.  [Read more here.]

Eighty percent of that went towards cleaning up.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has a program that helps mitigate municipal cleanup costs. Their road and area adoption program equips local residents with the tools and resources they need to be stewards of their neighborhoods.

Adoption Program

With the support of local municipalities, the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful adoption program is available statewide for municipal roads, parks, neighborhood blocks, greenways, waterways and trails.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful provides a sign recognizing the volunteers’ efforts and seeks the support of the local entity, usually the municipality, to provide the sign post, install the sign and provide trash disposal options as needed.

Once an adoption is approved, the volunteer individual or group receives gloves, bags and safety vests to get them started. Additional supplies are available each spring and fall through Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Pick Up Pennsylvania cleanup initiative.

“Litter cleanups divert municipal personnel from other, more essential tasks. Litter affects neighborhoods environmentally, socially and economically. Supporting volunteers who want to help by adopting roads or areas benefits the health and safety of the whole community,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. We are grateful for the municipalities who continue to support our program and for the tenacious volunteers who continue to strive for a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania.”

While not littering in the first place is the best scenario, cleanups are critical, and in a sense serve as a preventative function through engaging the community around the littering issue and simply because people are less likely to litter in an area that is kept free of trash. Trash attracts trash. 

For more information about adopting a municipal road, park, trail or waterway, visit the KPB Adoption Program webpage or contact Stephanie Larson at slarson@keeppabeautiful.org or 877-772-3673 x104.

For information about adopting a state maintained road, visit PennDOT’s Adopt and Beautify webpage..

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.

Keep PA Beautiful helps mobilize over 100,000 volunteers a year to pick up litter, clean up illegal dumping and beautify Pennsylvania.

Related Articles:

-- PA Resources Council: Schedule Of Online Backyard Composting, Rain Barrel, Recycling Conservation Workshops In August

-- PA Resources Council: To Hold Sept. 11 Reuse Fest In Erie Providing Opportunity For Public To Donate Items For Reuse By Local Nonprofits

[Posted: July 30, 2021]

8/2/2021