Residents all across Pennsylvania are gearing up to participate in Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful's Pick Up Pennsylvania program, a statewide community improvement initiative. Individuals, friends, families and groups large and small can help clean up vacant lots, streets and riverbanks, plant gardens and trees, mulch a local playground, or host an education event.

This year, students participating in Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful's inaugural Young Ambassadors Program will participate as well. Thirty-five students in grades 10 through 12 will coordinate and implement one education program and one community cleanup as part of their journey to becoming community stewards, civic leaders, and ambassadors in their community for a shared vision of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania.

Education events, litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, and community greening and beautification all qualify as community improvement events under the Pick Up Pennsylvania program. Events registered through Wednesday, May 31, are eligible to receive free bags, gloves, and vests provided by support from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, Ocean Conservancy, and Keep America Beautiful as supplies last.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association are sponsoring trash disposal, free of charge or at a reduced rate for registered program participants, at participating landfills through Sunday, April 30, with prior approval. In 2022, 65,988 Pennsylvanians picked up 3.4 million pounds of trash and 45,412 tires from neighborhoods, streams, roadways, parks, and trails.

To host an event, join an event nearby, or inquire about free supplies and trash disposal, visit http://www.keeppabeautiful.org/programs/pick-up-pa/ or contact Michelle Dunn at 877-772-3673, ext. 113, or mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.