The DEP, along with other state agencies, community leaders and organizations, coordinated the yearly cleanup at 15 sites throughout northern Erie county in rural areas and downtown Erie.
“The goal of this cleanup is to prevent littering through public action and education,” said DEP Regional Director Kelly Burch. “Litter creates ecological hazards and degrades the communities in which we live. The Pennsylvania-Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup is like a pep talk, encouraging Erie County residents to do the right thing when disposing of trash and unwanted items.”
Area colleges provided at least half of the volunteers.
“We offer a big ‘thank you’ to those students and other volunteers who woke up early on a Saturday morning in September to stuff trash bags with items someone else had carelessly had tossed away,” said Presque Isle State Park Environmental Education Specialist Emily Borcz. “Every year, event organizers are amazed at the number of people who contribute their time and effort to make this event such a success.”
Pennsylvania-Lake Erie International Coastal Cleanup documented on data cards every piece of trash that was collected, including: 39,784 cigarette butts and cigar tips; 5,742 beverage containers; 7,831food wrappers/containers; 4,792 beverage caps/lids/straws; and 4,941 plastic bags.
In the past seven years, 4,647 local volunteers have collected and documented 90,706 pounds of trash within the Lake Erie watershed.
The information gathered in past cleanups has been used as educational material for environmental programs in local schools and highlighted in the Erie Times-News Newspapers in Education section.
