While littering and illegal dumping are often discussed as social or environmental problems, rarely do we think about their economic impact. Over five years, 2014 through 2018, the Department of Transportation (PennDOT) spent over $65 million removing litter from within highway rights-of-way. The costs of dealing with litter and illegal dumping are quite large for communities as well, but are often obscured because they are dispersed across various governmental departments, community-based organizations and volunteer groups.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful documented in their 2019 study, “The Cost of Littering and Illegal Dumping in Pennsylvania,” that just nine cities in Pennsylvania spend $68 million annually on cleanup, education, enforcement and prevention efforts to address litter and illegal dumping throughout their respective communities. [Read more here.] Eighty percent of that went towards cleaning up!
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has a program that helps mitigate municipal cleanup costs. Their road and area adoption program equips local residents with the tools and resources they need to be stewards of their neighborhoods. With the support of local municipalities, the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful adoption program is available statewide for municipal roads, parks, neighborhood blocks, greenways, waterways and trails.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful provides a sign recognizing the volunteers’ efforts and seeks the support of the local entity, usually the municipality, to provide the sign post, install the sign and provide trash disposal options as needed. Once an adoption is approved, the volunteer individual or group receives gloves, bags and safety vests to get them started. Additional supplies are available each spring and fall through Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Pick Up Pennsylvania cleanup initiative.
For more information about adopting a municipal road, park, trail or waterway, visit the KPB Adoption Program webpage or contact Stephanie Larson at slarson@keeppabeautiful.org or 877-772-3673 x104.
NATURE NUGGET: Ticks are terrible this year! Here are ways to reduce your chances of being bitten by ticks: (By the way, make sure that you don’t kill opossums as just one is like a vacuum cleaner and can eat 5,000 ticks per season…yes, you read that right!)
- Cover exposed skin with lightweight and light-colored clothing
- Avoid tick-infested habitats such as areas dense with shrubbery or tall grass
- Use an EPA-approved insect repellent
- Once returning home, immediately check yourself, children, and pets for ticks
- Take a shower immediately to remove ticks that may be crawling on skin
- If possible, dry clothing and gear in a dryer to kill any ticks
NATURE QUOTE:
“Porcupine Pat” McKinney is environmental education coordinator for the Schuylkill Conservation District and provides programming for people of all ages with an emphasis on schools, public programming and nature center development. “Porcupine Pat” hails from Marion, Ohio and has a BS with Distinction in Natural Resources – Environmental Interpretation from Ohio State. He is a recipient of the prestigious Sandy Cochran Award for Excellence in Natural Resources Education from the PA Forestry Association, the Schuylkill Pride Award, and the PAEE “Outstanding Environmental Educator Award.”
