To prevent litter from ending up in Pennsylvania's waterways, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will host Pick Up Pennsylvania, where state residents may participate in the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup. This annual event provides an opportunity to improve neighborhoods and Pennsylvania's waterways by coordinating or participating in a litter cleanup.
This year's program will run from Wednesday, Sept. 1, through Tuesday, Nov. 30. During this period, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, and the Ocean Conservancy will provide free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests for registered events, while supplies last. In addition to waterway cleanups, land-based cleanups will also be eligible since a significant portion of waterway pollution originates on land.
Individuals, families, neighbors, students, civic organizations, and local governments are all invited to participate. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful suggests following all applicable COVID-19 federal, state, and local health and safety rules in effect at the time of the event.
According to Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, in 2020 nearly 12,000 volunteers canvassed their communities to remove 777,650 pounds of trash and 122,600 pounds of tires from Pennsylvania's lands, waterways, and coastal regions from September through November.
The Ocean Conservancy's annual International Coastal Cleanup engages hundreds of thousands of volunteers from around the world to remove millions of pounds of plastics and debris from beaches, lakes, and waterways.
To register a cleanup event, visit http://www.keeppabeautiful.org/programs/pick-up-pa. Questions can be answered by Michelle Dunn, Pick Up Pennsylvania program coordinator, at 877-772-3673, ext. 113, or mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.
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