Residents swept up in Great PA Cleanup

In only three years, the annual Great PA Cleanup has established firm roots throughout Western Pennsylvania.

Every year on the Saturday near Earth Day, the statewide cleanup sends hundreds of thousands of volunteers out to collect litter. Since 2004, volunteers have collected more than half a million bags of trash.

Hundreds of cleanups in the region are planned for this weekend, and the state Department of Environmental Protection is still encouraging people to sign up at www.greatpacleanup.org. Here's a sampling of some local cleanups:

Mt. Lebanon

Three years ago, people in Mt. Lebanon began "adopting" the 23 large concrete flower and tree boxes that line Washington Street, keeping them free of litter and cigarette butts.

The action grew and this year Clean Sweep of Mt. Lebanon will send an army of residents out with brooms, dustpans and gardening equipment to make a half-mile business stretch of the street sparkle.

"It's such a beautiful community," said Rebecca Reynolds, who is coordinating the event. "Why not keep it clean?"

Homestead

Homestead's Great PA Cleanup event began seven years before the statewide cleanup was established.

Every year for Earth Day, more than 100 local students -- ranging from kindergartners to high school football players -- spend several hours cleaning their neighborhoods.

"It's incredible," said Denise Kelly, project coordinator for the borough. "Youth generally aren't too interested in cleaning, but these kids have wonderful attitudes. I'm always so amazed at their behavior."

Manchester

Several years ago, Ginny Landis put a blue trash bag outside her house and asked the neighborhood children to put their empty pop bottles and potato chip bags in it, rather than toss them on the street.

The simple request worked, and now the children and other Manchester residents turn out every year for the Great PA Cleanup.

"Our neighborhood of late has been looking really clean," said Landis, who is head of the Manchester beautification committee.

Homewood

Several people in Homewood, frustrated with the trash in their streets and vacant lots, recently turned to PA CleanWays of Allegheny County -- a nonprofit organization that empowers people to eliminate illegal dumping in their neighborhoods -- and discovered they aren't alone.

Danielle Crumrine, executive director of the organization, recently brought the residents together and showed how they can go about organizing a cleanup -- just in time for the Great PA Cleanup.

So far we've gotten such a wonderful response from all the neighbors," said Cherylie Fuller, who regularly cleans a block near her church. "Everyone is just so excited. You think you're the only one, but a lot of people in Homewood are interested in picking up the litter."

Pittsburgh Voyager

Everybody who agrees to help clean the banks of the Ohio River from the Point as far west as possible gets an added bonus this year -- a free tour of the river aboard one of the educational organization's boats.

Anyone is welcome to participate, but the Pittsburgh Voyager asks that people reserve a spot on the free tour by calling 412-231-2712.

"This is the beginning of a more concentrated effort to keep our rivers clean," said Karl Thomas, executive director of the Pittsburgh Voyager.

Harrison

When a group of residents became fed up with the trash and graffiti in their alleys and staged a cleanup that hauled away 12 tons of trash last fall, they got an unexpected bonus.

"The police met with our group and they said crime and drug dealing is way down," said Bill Godfrey, president of the newly formed Natrona Comes Together Association. "It's unbelievable."

From now on, the group will take advantage of the Great PA Cleanup to hold a local spring cleaning, Godfrey said. He hopes 100 people will turn out Saturday.