The Gene Capaldi Lens On Litter Photo Contest, a program of the Pennsylvania Resources Council, offers prizes up to $500 to amateur photographers for photos of unusual and/or unsightly litter in their Pennsylvania communities.

The purpose is not to glorify litter, but to bring awareness to how litter threatens public health and safety, scenic beauty, property values, the environment and wildlife. The deadline for entries is October 31st.

Lens on Litter contributors are also encouraged to initiate a clean-up of the subject area and provide a photo of the results of their efforts for additional judging points.

Current sponsors include Sheetz, Inc.

Visit PRC’s Gene Capaldi Lens On Litter Photo Contest webpage for all the details. Questions may be directed to lensonlitter@prc.org. 

Ways To Reduce Litter

DEP offers the following eleven ways to be anti-litter in your life and community:

-- Keep a reusable bag in your car for your food wrappers, carryout containers or other trash and throw it out at home. Car windows should be for cool breezes only.

-- Live the reduce-reuse-recycle lifestyle. Ask for less packaging, shun single-use plastics, make items last for as long as possible; buy used whenever possible. Check the website of your city, township or borough to find out what items you can and cannot recycle.

-- Cover your trash and recycling bins when you take them to the curb. If you sweep the sidewalk in front of your home, do not sweep the litter into the street. Bag it and throw it in a trash can.

-- Any time you haul junk in the back of a truck, cover it. Uncovered trucks are one of the top three sources of litter on Pennsylvania roads, along with drivers and pedestrians.

-- Leave no trace in Pennsylvania’s parks and forests. Carry out what you carried in. It is a small price to pay for our beautiful—and free—parks.  [Read more here.]

-- If you are a smoker, keep a container in your car and pocket for cigarette butts. Cigarette butts are not natural fiber like many people think. They contain plastic and leach nicotine and heavy metals, and take about 5 years to break down.

-- Report illegal dump sites. It is easy and confidential using the online form from the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website.  [Read more here.]

-- Call your state legislator or local officials and businesses and ask what they are doing to prevent litter and how you can join in.

-- Join a local volunteer litter cleanup event through Pick-Up Pennsylvania. Free supplies are provided for events March 1-May 31 and September 1-November 30.  [Read more here.]

-- Adopt a highway. It is easy to apply and PennDOT provides supplies. Many businesses and organizations demonstrate commitment to their local community this way.  [Read more here.]

-- Help your local school be litter free. Teachers, administrators or parents can teach students about litter impacts and community involvement.  [Read more here.]

[For more information on anti-litter programs, visit DEP’s PA Litter Action Plan webpage.]

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Resources Council website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates, follow PRC on Twitter or Like them on Facebook.  Click Here for PRC’s Events Calendar.  Click Here to support their work.

PRC is Pennsylvania’s oldest grassroots environmental organization founded in 1939.  PRC has worked to protect resources for future generations through environmental education, recycling, waste diversion programs, anti-litter campaigns and other initiatives.

(Photo: 2021 winner Zoe Broyles, Pittsburgh, 16, 11th-grade student at Fox Chapel Area High School, “Rachel Carson’s Dream”)

Related Articles:

-- PA Resources Council Announces 2021 Lens On Litter Photo Contest Winners

-- Registration Now Open! Keep PA Beautiful's Pick Up Pennsylvania Initiative; In 2021 60,505 Volunteers Cleaned Up 2.2 Million Pounds Of Trash

[Posted: February 15, 2022]

2/21/2022