Each year, about 41,000 bags of garbage are collected along highways around Pennsylvania, state Department of Transportation officials say.
They want to keep such cleanup efforts moving, and enlist more people to aid in the effort. But they also hope to see a lot less litter tossed out along the highways.
“We are asking the traveling public to do their part to keep their trash until they get to their destination and simply stop littering,” said Kaitlyn Drumheller, District Maintenance Engineer for PennDOT’s Dunmore-based Engineering District 4.
“We want the traveling public coming into Pennsylvania – and everyone living in Pennsylvania -- to see beautiful, clean roadways,” Drumheller said.
PennDOT officials are asking politely, but they also acknowledge there’s a price to be paid for trashing public highways: Stiff fines.
District 4 officials this week were joined by Pennsylvania State Trooper Bob Urban to discuss enforcement of anti-littering laws, including the emphasis that will be placed on Litter Enforcement Corridors, where penalties are increased.
Signed into law in 2018 by then Gov. Tom Wolf, Litter Enforcement Corridors have a high aesthetic or historic value worth preserving or need some additional help with litter issues, officials said. Some of the most prominent corridors in the district are Route 6 in Lackawanna and Wyoming counties, state Route 92 in Susquehanna County, and Interstate 81 in Luzerne County.
“If caught littering or engaging in illegal dumping within these designated corridors, the consequences have become much more severe,” Urban said.
Upon conviction, fines are now doubled, reaching up to $1,800, Urban said. Additionally, offenders must partake in a litter removal program, dedicating up to 30 hours to the cause.
For commercial entities found guilty of illegal dumping within these corridors, the fines are even steeper, Urban added.
“We're talking tripled fines, potentially totaling up to $15,000,” he said.
“We're hopeful that these heightened penalties will serve as a deterrent, discouraging individuals and businesses alike from despoiling Pennsylvania's roads and landscapes,” Urban said.
Trash, traffic rise together
That’s a significant task, as Drumheller said littering has gotten worse in recent years.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the increase in vehicles we see on the roadways. From 10 years ago to today, traffic has definitely increased,” she said.
What those motorists are carrying also seems to be a factor.
“We also see an increase in disposable takeout food containers, plastic cups. Items that people are picking up, while they're on the go from place to place, seem to be the main items we're picking up when we are cleaning the roadways,” Drumheller added.
PennDOT designates state roads as Litter Enforcement Corridors, but counties or municipalities also can petition the agency to do so by filing paperwork with their regional PennDOT office. Information is available in the roadside enforcement manual on PennDOT’s website.
Officials said PennDOT also partners with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections on cleanup projects; in this region, SCI Waymart and SCI Dallas send crews to help pick up trash along highways.
Adopt-A-Highway volunteers sought
The agency also is looking for volunteers to participate in the northeast region's Adopt-A-Highway program to clean litter from state-owned roadsides.
Many groups in PennDOT's Adopt-A-Highway program, which involves volunteers cleaning roadsides year-round, are longtime participants. Adopt-A-Highway volunteers collect litter on a two-mile section of state highway at least twice a year, officials said.
In 2023, the program had over 4,400 participating groups, more than 117,700 registered volunteers, and over 9,000 miles of adopted state-maintained roadways resulting in 32,272 bags of litter collected.
Gloves, trash bags, and safety vests for the cleanup campaign are provided by PennDOT, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and Pick Up Pennsylvania, which runs from March 1 to May 31.
Interested groups and individuals can sign up for the program at www.adoptahighway.penndot.pa.gov.
“Let's work together to keep Pennsylvania beautiful, ensuring litter finds its rightful place in the trash, not in our picturesque landscapes,” Urban said.
