Statewide Roadside Cleanup Planned, Volunteers Needed

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- PennDOT is seeking volunteers for this year's Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania, which begins March 1 and runs through May 31.

"Cleanup events like this have been a great success in improving the quality of life for Pennsylvanians by creating cleaner roadsides and communities," said Secretary Barry Schoch. "Many dedicated residents return year after year to show their support, and I encourage more Pennsylvanians to show pride in our state through these great opportunities."

Interested volunteers can find a listing of cleanup events, resources for organizing a cleanup group and other information at www.gacofpa.org.

Many of PennDOT's 7,100 Adopt-A-Highway groups, who collect trash year-round, also join in this event. Visit www.dot.state.pa.us and click on "PennDOT near you" for the phone number of the nearest PennDOT District Office to sign up for Adopt-A-Highway.

Last year, more than 159,000 volunteers collected 7 million pounds of trash from 13,140 miles of roads, trails and shorelines during the Great American Cleanup of Pennsylvania. Additionally, PennDOT's Adopt-A-Highway volunteers picked up more than 3.5 million pounds of trash along more than 10,000 miles of roadway during the cleanup event last year.

PennDOT provides gloves, trash bags and safety vests to cleanup volunteers.

Media contact: Jamie Legenos, 717-783-8800

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Transportation