Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has announced that registration is open for the 2021 Pick Up Pennsylvania, a community improvement initiative. This annual event, open from Monday, March 1, through Monday, May 31, offers registered participants free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests provided by support from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PDEP), PennDOT, and Keep America Beautiful, as supplies last. The sponsoring entities encourage litter cleanup because litter pollutes the environment and can affect quality of life.

Events can include litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, community greening and beautification, special collections, and education events. All events must be registered at http://www.keeppabeautiful.org to receive free cleanup supplies.

As part of this event, the PDEP and Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association are sponsoring trash disposal, free of charge or at a reduced rate, for registered program participants at participating landfills from Thursday, April 1, through Friday, April 30, with prior approval.

Participants in the 2021 event are encouraged to observe the most recent social distancing guidelines and to clean up in small groups, with family members or solo. To host an event, join an event nearby, or inquire about free supplies and trash disposal, readers may visit the aforementioned website or contact Michelle Dunn at 877-772-3673, ext. 113, or mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.

Anyone participating in Pick Up Pennsylvania can earn cash prizes for his or her nonprofit or charity of choice by entering the Pick Up Pennsylvania Video Contest. To participate, a 60-second video of the registered event showing how it is keeping Pennsylvania beautiful should be submitted. For details, readers may visit https://gacofpa.org/great-american-cleanup-of-pa-report-results/ and choose Video Contest.

Businesses interested in becoming a supporter of the 2021 Pick Up Pennsylvania initiative may contact Shannon Reiter at 724-836-4121 or sreiter@keeppabeautiful.org.