PennDOT plans cleanup event
The state Department of Transportation is encouraging Pennsylvanians to help beautify the state through the Great American Cleanup of PA, which runs through May 31.
“Pennsylvania is very fortunate to have thousands of volunteers who turn out every year to clean up our communities and roadsides,” said Barry J. Schoch, acting secretary of PennDOT. “These dedicated individuals help keep Pennsylvania beautiful and save taxpayers’ money with their efforts to clean up after careless people who litter.”
A listing of cleanup events, resources for organizing a cleanup, and other information about the effort is available 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 Adopt-A-Highway coordinator, or visit online at www.dot.state.pa.us.
More than 186,000 volunteers cleaned 19,373 miles of roads, trails and shorelines in Pennsylvania during last year’s Great American Cleanup event, collecting 12 million pounds of trash. Of the cleanup’s totals, PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program volunteers accounted for a record 12,278 miles cleaned with their efforts. These volunteers collected 3.7 million pounds of litter.
The 7,128 groups in the Adopt-A-Highway program, with their 130,730 volunteers, have two-year commitments and have adopted 16,475 miles of road. PennDOT requires that Adopt-A-Highway volunteers complete four cleanups a year, and the groups are encouraged to join in the Great American Cleanup of PA. Emphasis is placed on yearly Pick It Up PA days, which will run from April 16-30.
PennDOT provides gloves and safety vests for Adopt-A-Highway and Great American Cleanup of PA groups.