Stakeholders in the fight against litter convened on November 1 and 2 for Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s 2022 Litter Summit hosted by the City of Lancaster.

The Summit was held in coordination with the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Transportation. 

The two-day event began with a walking tour of Lancaster’s sustainable community, including two projects funded by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful; the Tiny Cans Project, that provides free trash cans for neighborhood residents to install on their porch railings to reduce littering and the Lancaster Compost Bin Co-op Expansion project, allowing the city to add new compost bin locations throughout the city. 

Other stops on the tour included the Storm Water Rain Garden and Art Mural at Musser Park, the Urban Forestry project and the new Bike It Lancaster Bike Share. The tour was followed by an evening reception featuring an Upcycled Art Exhibit curated by Red Raven Art Company.

Keynote Speaker, Danene Sorace, Mayor of Lancaster, spoke about how clean and beautiful communities support strategic priorities for the city: strong neighborhoods, safe places, sustainable economy and sound government.

KAB Recognition

The national organization, Keep America Beautiful recognized the Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Transportation for their support and collaboration with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s programming, including Pick Up Pennsylvania and the new Young Ambassadors Program.

KAB also recognized Gov. Wolf’s office with a State Innovative Partnership Award for the state’s first Litter Action Plan.

PA Fights Dirty

The Summit also featured the state’s new anti-littering campaign, PA Fights Dirty: Every Litter Bit Matters, which was developed as part of Gov. Wolf’s Litter Action Plan and outlines strategies for all Pennsylvanians to help in the fight against litter. 

“We want to thank state agencies, community leaders, affiliate partners and stakeholders across the state for joining us for this years’ Litter Summit to celebrate our collective successes. It is a great reminder that we all play a role in keeping our communities clean and beautiful and through collaboration and sharing we can accomplish so much more. It was inspiring to learn about different approaches to enforcing litter and illegal dumping laws, how infrastructure affects waste disposal and new education initiatives,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “I hope it inspired everyone to continue the fight against litter.”

The 2022 Litter Summit was sponsored by Republic Services, Inc., PA Beverage Association and Dow. 

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 2022 Pick Up Pennsylvania Initiative will be held until.  Questions should be directed to Michelle Dunn at 1-877-772-3673 Ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.

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

(Photo: Jack Howell, Elm Street Manager, demonstrates Tiny Cans Project, Lancaster.)

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[Posted: November 3, 2022]

11/7/2022