On November 7, Schuylkill Keep It Pretty (SKIP) officially became a county affiliate of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

Schuylkill Keep It Pretty is supported by the Schuylkill County Commissioners and is in partnership with the Schuylkill Office of Solid Waste & Recycling.

To achieve this milestone, SKIP successfully completed Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s comprehensive Community Assessment.

This vital process gathered crucial data across six key areas: residents’ attitudes towards litter and community image, existing litter prevention programs, community and beautification leaders, current waste and recycling policies, past and ongoing community revitalization efforts, and active volunteer groups.

The insights gained will be instrumental in shaping a local plan aimed at transforming attitudes and behaviors around litter, recycling, beautification, and related issues.

SKIP aims to coordinate and manage county-wide cleanups, support county recycling events and provide environmental education opportunities for youth and communities.

Additionally, they will implement statewide programs such as Pennsylvania Adopt-a-Highway and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful initiatives.

“Schuylkill Keep It Pretty is dedicated to cleaning up litter and educating communities on litter prevention, solid waste management, recycling and waste reduction. Our goal is to create a better Schuylkill County for everyone to live, learn, work and visit,” said Mandy Fitzpatrick, SKIP Chair.

“The county is happy to support SKIP with anything the organization needs,” said Kyle Swetz, Solid Waste and Recycling Coordinator.

The group’s strategic plan for the next three years focuses on enlisting individuals to be stewards of the environment, utilizing education and awareness as the first step to encouraging positive behaviors, establishing broad-based partnerships of public, private and civic community alliances to achieve sustainable community evolvement and engaging volunteers to extend reach and multiply the impact of local initiatives that change individual behavior and leads to local community improvement.

SKIP is planning a cleanup on November 16 along Tuscarora Mountain Road. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact SKIP for cleanup specifics and requirements.

Mandy Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of Schuylkill Connects and Kyle Swetz, Solid Waste and Recycling Coordinator, will serve as coordinators for SKIP affiliate programs. They can be reached at skiplitter@gmail.com or 570-628-1220. 

“Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is delighted to congratulate and welcome Schuylkill Keep It Pretty (SKIP) to our network. We extend our gratitude to the Schuylkill County Commissioners and the Office of Solid Waste & Recycling for their invaluable support and recognition of the benefits our programs, tools, and resources bring to residents. Together, we look forward to enhancing existing initiatives and warmly welcome SKIP to our Affiliate Network,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

For more information about Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s local affiliates, visit KPB’s  Affiliate Network webpage. To inquire about starting an affiliate, contact Kylie McCutcheon at kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org  or 724-836-4121 x114. 

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s vision is a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania.

Since 1990, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has worked with hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the state to pick up nearly 158 million pounds of trash from Pennsylvania's roadways, waterways, greenways, vacant lots, forestlands and other community spaces.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s core programming focuses on litter and illegal dump prevention, cleanup, community greening, and proper waste handling and sustainable practices. 

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful works with many partnering organizations on the state and grassroots level to accomplish our goal of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is the state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization.

(Photo: SKIP Chair, Mandy Fitzpatrick (center), Schuylkill County Solid Waste and Recycling, Kyle Swetz (far right) and volunteers clean up a portion of Pottsville’s schools and recreation area.)

Related Articles:

-- PA Resources Council Hosts Nov. 14 Webinar On Learning To Recycle Right In Celebration Of America Recycles Day  [PaEN]

-- Keep PA Beautiful Welcomes Schuylkill Keep It Pretty As New Local Affiliate  [PaEN]

-- Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority Accepting Campaign Signs For Recycling Thru Nov. 15  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Discover NE PA: Help Keep Northeast PA Beautiful On America Recycles Day Nov. 15

-- Inquirer: How To Recycle Campaign Yard Signs In Philadelphia Region 

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: PA Resources Council Household Chemical Collection Event In Pittsburgh Saturday, Nov. 9

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[Posted: November 7, 2024]

11/11/2024