Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has added a new affiliate: Keep Dauphin County Beautiful. This affiliate will be a program of and housed in the Dauphin County Department of Solid Waste and Recycling. It will serve areas outside Harrisburg, which has its own affiliate.

To complete the affiliation process, the group conducted Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful's Community Assessment, which is done to gather data about the area served. Data collected included residents' attitudes about litter and community image, existing litter prevention programs, leaders of community and beautification efforts, existing waste and recycling policies, past and current community revitalization efforts and active volunteer groups. The results of the Community Assessment were used to guide the development of a local plan to change attitudes and behaviors regarding litter, recycling, beautification and related issues.

As part of the partnership, the new affiliate has access to a statewide network of peer organizations; an affiliate awards program; annual affiliate grants; access to tools, resources and annual trainings; inclusion in statewide marketing efforts; and brand affiliation in addition to ongoing technical support.

Among the affiliates' strategic priorities are litter abatement, waste reduction, beautification and connecting with schools and volunteer groups to foster more environmental stewardship opportunities.

Kelly Megonnel, director of the Department of Solid Waste and Recycling, will serve as the coordinator for Keep Dauphin County Beautiful. Megonnel can be reached at 717-780-6228 or kmegonnel@dauphincounty.gov. For more information, visit http://www.dauphincounty.gov/government/support-services/solid-waste-management-recycling.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful currently has 26 county- and city-based affiliates that offer programs in 34 service areas. To find an affiliate, visit http://www.keeppabeautiful.org and choose Affiliate Network. To inquire about starting an affiliate, contact Kylie McCutcheon at kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org or 724-836-4121, ext. 114.