(April 20, 2023) In celebration of Earth Day, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, whose vision is a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania, encourages residents to join the 2023 Pick Up Pennsylvania initiative. Pick Up Pennsylvania engages tens of thousands of volunteers annually through litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, beautification projects, special collections, and educational events. Events registered through May 31 receive free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests provided by support from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT and the Ocean Conservancy, as supplies last. To help with the cost of trash disposal, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association are sponsoring low or no cost disposal through April 30. During this time, trash collected at registered events can be taken to participating landfills, with prior approval.

Pick Up Pennsylvania Earth Day Events
Highlighted below are just a few of the 216 Pick Up Pennsylvania events scheduled for Earth Day weekend. If you would like to join an event below or one listed on the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Calendar of Events, please contact the coordinator to confirm participation.

• Etna-Sharpsburg Earth Day Challenge, Allegheny County – Sat, Apr 22 9:00AM – 11:30AM, contact Megan Tunon at megan@etnacommunity.org or (412) 660-4667. This event is a collaboration of two communities to clean their streets and streams.
• Lower Southampton Township Community Clean Up Day, Bucks County – Sat, Apr 22 9:00AM – 12:00PM, contact Rich Coppens at mthackrah@lstwp.org or (215) 357-7300. This cleanup is community-wide. Join your fellow residents and township staff or a location that’s important to you. Document Shredding and Electronic Recycling available for Township Residents.
• Earth Day Great Harrisburg Litter Cleanup, Dauphin County – Sat, Apr 22 8:00AM – 11:00AM, contact Erika Lopez Martinez at
  elopezmartinez@cactricounty.org or (717) 232-9757. This cleanup is coordinated by Keep Harrisburg-Dauphin Beautiful. Volunteers are needed throughout Harrisburg to pick litter, check-in volunteers, truck drivers to pick up trash bags (must have a vehicle), and dumpster monitors.
• Nay Aug Community Cleanup, Lackawanna County – Sun, Apr 23 12:00AM – 3:00AM, Contact Fawn Contreras at fcontreras@albright.org or (570) 489-1765. The Valley Community Library and NEPA Sierra Club have partnered with Nay Aug Park and the Scranton Public Libraries to do a family friendly cleanup of the trails, parking areas, and grounds of Nay Aug.
• City of Williamsport Spring Cleanup, Lycoming County – Sat, Apr 22 9:00AM – 12:00PM, contact Lalitha Durlin at ljdurlin@yahoo.com or (570) 939-5016. This community wide cleanup is a collaboration between Newberry Community Partnership, Lycoming College, and Penn College.
• Mifflinburg Earth Day Cleanup, Union County – Sat, April 22 8:00AM – 1:00PM, contact Michael Smith at mwsmith4440@gmail.com or (570) 768-7825. This event will focus on Mifflinburg Community park, the local rail trail and areas around Mifflinburg that have a noticeable amount of litter.

To host an event, join an event near you, or to inquire about free supplies and trash disposal, visit keeppabeautiful.org and choose Programs, then Pick Up PA or contact Michelle Dunn, Pick Up Pennsylvania Program Coordinator, at 724-836-4121 ext. 113 or mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.

“Cleaning up your neighborhood is one of the easiest and best investments you can make. Most people don’t think that small actions like cleaning up litter, planting a tree, painting a park bench or educating the community about the consequences of littering make an impact, but they really do. Everyone can make a difference in their neighborhood. You can start small by grabbing a bag each time you go for a walk. Register on our website for free supplies,” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “This year we hope even more people find the time to help improve their communities and make every day Earth Day.”

Current 2023 Pick Up Pennsylvania supporters include: The GIANT Company, Wawa, Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association, Columbia Gas – NiSource Charitable Foundation, Mahantango Enterprises, Inc., PA Food Merchants Association, Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania, Giant Eagle and Vistra Energy – Luminant. If you are interested in becoming a supporter contact Deb Woolley at dwoolley@keepppabeautiful.org.

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About Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful
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 155 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. To learn more about Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, visit www.keeppabeautiful.org.

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