Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Awards $500 to Westmoreland County Conservation District – winner of PA Association of Conservation Districts Trash Challenge
Westmoreland County Conservation District staff accept a $500 check from Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful for collecting the most trash during the Trash Challenge.
(July 28, 2025) Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, sponsor of the PA Association of Conservation Districts Trash Challenge, is proud to announce that Westmoreland County Conservation District has been named the 2025 Trash Challenge Champion, emerging as the top performer in a spirited, statewide cleanup competition open to all 66 county conservation districts.
From April 1 to May 31, 2025, districts across the Commonwealth mobilized volunteers to tackle litter and illegal dumpsites within their county boundaries. The challenge, designed to promote community pride and environmental responsibility, required conservation districts to register and report their efforts with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Pick Up Pennsylvania online platform, funded by PA Department of Environmental Protection.
Westmoreland County Conservation District stood out for its outstanding commitment, coordination, and impact. A total of 15 district staff and volunteers collected an astonishing 15,665 pounds of trash and tires from an area in Latrobe Borough, earning $500 and statewide bragging rights as this year’s champion. The check was presented at the annual meeting of the PA Association of Conservation Districts at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, PA on July 17.
“We are so grateful to partner with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful with the Conservation District Trash Champion Award. Conservation districts work year-round to protect clean water and healthy soil for the future,” said Amy Brown, PACD Acting Executive Director. “This challenge is just one example of their hands-on commitment to improving our communities.”
Eleven county conservation districts participated in the challenge, engaging staff and volunteers who collected 40,070 pounds of trash, 658 tires.
“We’re honored to sponsor this statewide competition that compliments our mission of empowering Pennsylvanians to keep our communities clean and beautiful,” said Heidi Pedicone, Director of Programs for Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. “Westmoreland County Conservation District staff and volunteers exemplified what it means to lead by example in protecting and beautifying our communities. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful extends its sincere thanks to every district, volunteer, and partner who made this challenge a success.”
Participants received free cleanup supplies and access to free disposal at participating landfills during April through Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Pick Up Pennsylvania program, the states largest community improvement program. To learn more about Pick Up Pennsylvania and other Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Programs, visit www.keeppabeautiful.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 162 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.
