Litter pickup and libraries are a natural fit!  I know for my library in Marysville, OH, our Adopt-a-Highway team was a truly successful volunteer effort, a great outdoor activity (and really good exercise). Plus, it was always fun to see the green sign with our Library’s name on it on that stretch of State Route 36 – it showed we cared.  I also know from doing litter pickups on the South Side of Pittsburgh that you can learn a lot about your community from picking up what they throw away (or lose).  – Sue Banks

The following was shared from our friends at PennDOT and the Department of Environmental Protection.

                 Beautiful PA, let’s keep it that way.

Spring litter pickups are underway! Please share the following information with your local community.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is coordinating litter cleanup campaigns and events statewide. Volunteering is easy. People can organize their own local event and register it at Pick Up Pennsylvania, or can sign up to participate in an already registered event. Gloves, trash bags, and safety vests are provided by the Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation (PennDOT) and Environmental Protection (DEP) and corporate sponsors.

As part of this initiative, DEP and the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association are sponsoring trash disposal free of charge or at a reduced rate for registered “Pick Up Pennsylvania” participants at participating landfills throughout the month of April.

For over 20 years, hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians have participated in “Pick Up Pennsylvania” events, including groups from schools, colleges, community groups, libraries, businesses, and others.  Groups in PennDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway program, which involves volunteers cleaning roadsides year-round, also have been longtime participants.