This Earth Day, it’s easy to point to the many problems plaguing our planet and feel overwhelmed — global climate change, massive species extinction, ocean acidification, collapsing fisheries, deforestation, overpopulation, the list goes on and on.
The challenge seems immense. Humankind has grown exponentially in number and capability of altering their surroundings, pushing Earth toward a tipping point, but the best place to start chipping away at a solution may be right here at home.
Local folks are proud of this region, it’s beauty and quality fishing streams, and most people want to keep it that way. That’s why Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has fought to keep our forests and waterways clean — and to empower area residents to get involved in cleanup initiatives as well as prevent illegal dumping by taking advantage of electronic, pharmaceutical, tire and other collection events.
About two years ago, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful released its recommendations for reducing illegal dumping shortly after completing a survey of illegal dumpsites throughout the state.
In an effort to build a strong case for further action by state, county, and local government, and other stakeholders to reduce illegal dumping in Pennsylvania, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful performed a series of research initiatives that concluded in 2013-14.
The resulting report, “Illegal Dumping in Pennsylvania: A Decade of Discovery,” is the final stage of the ongoing efforts of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful to identify where and how illegal dumping occurs in Pennsylvania and provides practical, cost-effective solutions and accountability measures to address a statewide issue.
The findings in the report point to a number of steps that could help Pennsylvania attain this objective including:
• Universal access to waste and recycling services including the establishment of permanent, gated convenient centers within close proximity to the population;
• Establishing measures such as building and demolition permitting and a registration network for small contractors and transporters to deter commercial dumping;
• Heightening awareness and understanding of waste management issues through a statewide multi-media campaign and an Environmental Law Training Program for Enforcement Officers and Justices;
• Expanding the use of electronic surveillance at active illegal dumpsites;
• Creating county level Joint Code Enforcement Officer Programs to support local governments;, and
• Establishing fines that significantly outweigh the avoided cost of disposal and publishing the identities of those who continue to illegally dump.
“Pennsylvanians can no longer afford to continually clean up illegal dumps. Cleanups are costly, the remediation of illegal dumps costs $619 per ton for an average total of $2,947 per site, and do not stop the act of illegal dumping,” said Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful President Shannon Reiter. “By developing an infrastructure to provide affordable, convenient waste disposal and recycling options for all residents of the Commonwealth and a network of law enforcement officers and judicial officials who are knowledgeable about current laws and the cost to our community, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, along with its partners, supporters, and stakeholders, hope to change the way waste is managed in Pennsylvania, thereby economically benefiting citizens, business owners, and local government.”
The most recent illegal dump survey was completed in 2008 by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful with more than 70 dumpsites found and 80 percent of those considered to be active, meaning dumping is still occurring, according to McKean County Conservation District Watershed Conservationist Heather McKean.
Dumps are most common on roads less traveled with out of site pull-off areas, McKean said, adding she doesn’t think illegal dumping is increasing in McKean County at this point, but rather likely decreasing slightly or staying about the same.
Hard to dispose of products such as tires, appliances, large furniture pieces, paint, batteries, etc., are the items most commonly found at dumpsites, according to McKean.
Illegally dumping or improperly disposing of garbage, whether it is electronics, pharmaceuticals or household waste, has the potential to pollute surface and groundwater resources and harm wildlife, McKean explained.
“When garbage is taken to a landfill, it is placed in a pit that has a thick plastic liner. This liner prevents groundwater pollution,” she said. “Electronics, tires … these items are hard to dispose of, and we actually have people calling the Conservation District and Penn State Extension offices now asking when our collections will be held.
“We always have requests to hold additional electronic collections each year,” McKean said. “With that said, some people still throw household garbage out into the woods and down over embankments. We would be seeing a lot more televisions and tires illegally dumped if we were not having these collections.”
For her part, Elk County Recycling Coordinator Bekki Titchner said Elk County’s ongoing electronics recycling program, which started in 2008, is one of the only ones in the region and has been very successful.
“This kind of program really helps keep electronics from being dumped on the side of a road or over a bank,” she said. “We get electronics from a lot of the surrounding counties as well. People from McKean County take the time and make the drive to get to us because they want to do the right thing.”
Palmira Miller, a community illegal dumpsite cleanup coordinator with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, noted accumulation of trash can attract pests such as mosquitoes, which can carry the West Nile and Zika viruses.
“Getting the community involved in cleaning it up and keeping it clean — this gets them invested in preventing dumping to begin with,” said Miller. “Trash is trash, it doesn’t belong in the environment, it can harm aquatic life, other wildlife, water quality.”
With that said, the McKean County Conservation District will conduct a litter pick-up on Route 155 between Turtlepoint and Port Allegany. Volunteers are asked to meet at the gas station on the corner of U.S. Route 6 and Route 155 at 8 a.m. Saturday, and the clean-up will go until noon.
Miller told The Era they would be cleaning up an area of Oswayo today and two weeks ago held a cleanup in Genesee, both in Potter County. She said the group tries to rely on volunteers as much as possible in order to stretch their funding as far as possible.
“If a site is unsafe for volunteers, we’ll call in contractors, but we can do about two dozen cleanups for as much as we can do two with contractors,” she explained. “We’re working our way across the county.
Titchner said the programs are important because they give people resources to take community pride and the environmental health of their region into their own hands.
“I don’t think we’ll ever stop all the littering and dumping, but giving people the resources, helping them keep it clean … it gives them the responsibility, the ownership to do the job instead of having government come in and do it for them,” Titchner explained. “And, it’s rewarding. It is instant gratification to do a cleanup, see the trash is gone and be able to say, ‘I did that.’”
“I think, in general, people want to do what’s right, they just need the opportunity that isn’t so dreadfully difficult that they don’t follow through,” she added.
She said there are some areas that were cleaned up where we’re seeing some more sporadic dumping, but we try to offer the alternative — especially with electronics and tires.
“Tires can go to the landfill for free because we pick up the cost through that program,” Titchner explained. “Nothing is free, but we take on the cost as an organization. We’d rather deal with a TV dropped at the recycling center than digging it from over the side of the bank. If people want to do the right thing, we don’t mind doing the work.”
During the Great American Cleanup of PA, which began March 1 and goes through May 31, registered events can get free cleanup supplies such as bags, gloves and vests donated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Keep America Beautiful.
Additionally, during the Pick It Up PA Days, which is from April 16 to May 9, sponsored by the state Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association and participating landfills, registered events have access to reduced or free disposal.
Other events include holding recycling events for hard-to-dispose of items like tires and appliances; creating or enhancing green areas by planting plants, bulbs and trees; and removing or painting over graffiti that devalues your neighborhood.
Community and civic associations, schools and youth groups, families and friends, business employees, hunting and fishing clubs, conservation organizations, sports teams and others can organize their members and participate in the Great American Cleanup of PA.
Since the inception of the event in 2004, more than 1.830 million volunteers have picked up 86.578 million pounds of litter and waste, 159,404 miles of roads, waterways, shorelines, and trails have been cleaned, and more than 149,371 trees, bulbs, and flowers have been planted. Volunteers also removed more than 236,743 tires and 163,059 pounds of scrap metal.
For more information visit gacofpa.org.
