By ERIC SEIVERLING
Whether intentionally put there or blown from trash cans, dumpsters, shopping carts or cars, most communities have experienced an increase of visible litter lining streets, parking lots, trails and waterways during the past few months under Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home orders.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has announced a program for local residents, organizations, civic groups and businesses to be part of the solution. The group’s statewide adoption program is an opportunity for locals to adopt and care for municipal roads, parks, neighborhood blocks, greenways, waterways and trails.
The results of a recent statewide study on litter conducted by the Departments of Environmental Protection and Transportation and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, estimated 502 million pieces of litter are on Pennsylvania roadways, most of it cigarette butts and plastic items.
A separate report supported by the Richard King Mellon Foundation and participating cities, The Cost of Litter and Illegal Dumping in Pennsylvania, documented that just nine Pennsylvania cities collectively spent $68 million to prevent and cleanup litter.
In addition, PennDOT spent more than $65 million removing litter and debris from highways across the state over a five-year period.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful partners with local municipalities to help mitigate the costs associated with cleaning roads and highways by encouraging local residents to take ownership of their communities.
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