The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) called on all Pennsylvanians to join in the Pick Up Pennsylvania statewide fall campaign to clean up streams, rivers, and lakes in their community. Pick Up Pennsylvania, a grassroots campaign that began in 2004, is part of the anti-litter movement in Pennsylvania.

The Pick Up Pennsylvania fall campaign runs through November each year. It is coordinated by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and sponsored by DEP, PennDOT, and the Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Zone Cleanup. This support provides registered events with free trash bags and gloves.

Residents can visit https://cleanup.keeppabeautiful.org/Calendar.html to join Pick Up Pennsylvania cleanup events in their community. Those who would like to register their own local cleanup event can do so at http://www.keeppabeautiful.org/programs/pick-up-pa/organize-an-event/. Individuals, families, neighbors, students, civic organizations, and local governments are invited to participate.

The Wolf Administration released its Litter Action Plan in 2021 in response to a 2019 Pennsylvania Litter Research Study, which found Pennsylvania had more than 500 million pieces of litter on its roadways. The action plan includes strategies for all Pennsylvanians to fight litter in their communities. As part of the plan, the state launched a public awareness campaign, PA Fights Dirty, this summer. The campaign calls upon Pennsylvanians to ensure every piece of their trash, regardless of size, is disposed of properly.

The DEP identifies many ways Pennsylvanians can fight litter at http://www.dep.pa.gov/litter. PennDOT provides many additional litter cleanup volunteer opportunities, including Adopt-A-Highway and Litter Brigades, at http://www.penndot.pa.gov.