The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is seeking volunteers for this year’s Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania, which begins March 1 and runs through May 31.
“Pennsylvania is a beautiful state, and it’s imperative that we work together to keep it that way,” Acting Secretary Leslie S. Richards said. “I urge individuals to join the thousands of volunteers in their communities to participate in the cleanup this year to keep Pennsylvania beautiful.”
The cleanup is sponsored each year by PennDOT, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, the state Department of Environmental Protection and other partners. Groups participating in PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) program, which involves volunteers cleaning roadsides year round, are also encouraged to participate in the cleanup.
Interested individuals can find a listing of cleanup events, resources for organizing a cleanup, and other information about the effort online at www.gacofpa.org. Groups interested in adopting a section of highway are encouraged to contact their local PennDOT County Maintenance office and ask for the AAH coordinator, or visit www.dot.state.pa.us.
During last year’s Great American Cleanup, 6.4 million pounds of litter was collected from Pennsylvania’s roads, trails and shorelines by more than 136,000 volunteers. PennDOT’s AAH program contributed nearly 75,000 volunteers who cleaned up nearly 45 percent of the collected litter on 10,317 miles of cleaned up roadway.
Through PennDOT’s AAH program, volunteers collect litter on a two-mile section of state highway four times a year. The program currently has nearly 7,000 participating groups, more than 125,000 volunteers and 15,834 miles of adopted state-maintained roadways.
PennDOT provides gloves, trash bags and safety vests to AAH and Great American Cleanup of PA groups. In addition to the event, during the “Pick it Up PA Days” from April 11 to May 4 registered events have access to reduced or free disposal at participating landfills.
For more information, visit www.gacofpa.org.
