THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY V. BROWN, BROWNLEE, CALTAGIRONE, GEORGE, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, HARHART, HENNESSEY, HUTCHINSON, KIRKLAND, KORTZ, LONGIETTI, MAHONEY, MANN, MILLARD, MIRABITO, MURT, O'NEILL, PASHINSKI, PAYTON, READSHAW, ROSS, SCAVELLO, SONNEY, SWANGER AND YOUNGBLOOD, APRIL 5, 2012

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, APRIL 5, 2012  

A RESOLUTION

Recognizing the volunteers participating in Keep Pennsylvania

Beautiful's Great American Cleanup of PA from March 1 through

May 31, 2012.

WHEREAS, The Great American Cleanup of PA is celebrating its

eighth year of involving people throughout this Commonwealth in

the cleanup of litter and trash along our roadsides, streams,

beaches, parks, forests and neighborhoods to make our

communities clean and beautiful; and

WHEREAS, Last year, 159,922 volunteers from all 67 counties

of this Commonwealth participated in 4,222 events as part of the

Great American Cleanup of PA; and

WHEREAS, Volunteers collected 354,267 bags, or 7,085,340

pounds, of trash, cleaned 13,140 miles of roads, railroad

tracks, trails, waterways or shorelines and 5,887 acres of parks

or wetlands and planted 3,321 trees, bulbs and plants in an

effort to keep Pennsylvania beautiful; and

WHEREAS, Since 2004, more than 1.2 million volunteers have

participated in the cleanups, collecting more than 61 million

pounds of litter and waste, cleaning 106,000 miles of roads and

planting more than 76,000 trees, bulbs and flowers in this

Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, The Great American Cleanup of PA was organized with

the help of a broad partnership of State agencies, nonprofit

groups, businesses and other associations, including Keep

America Beautiful, the Department of Environmental Protection,

the Department of Transportation, the Pennsylvania Beverage

Association, the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, the

Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association, Waste Management,

Keystone Sanitary Landfill, the Steel Recycling Institute, the

American Chemistry Council, the Pennsylvania Downtown Center and

the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership; and

WHEREAS, The Department of Environmental Protection and the

Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association, including Keystone

Sanitary Landfill and Waste Management, are arranging for the

free disposal of trash collected during the Let's Pick It Up PA-

Everyday initiative, April 16 through 30, for groups registered

in the Great American Cleanup of PA; and

WHEREAS, The Department of Transportation and Keep America

Beautiful are providing free cleanup supplies, such as bags,

gloves and vests, for Great American Cleanup of PA participants;

and

WHEREAS, Sponsors of Pick It Up PA Days, including the

Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Waste

Industries Association and participating landfills, are

providing free disposal for volunteers participating in

registered events during the Pick It Up PA Days, April 21

through May 7; and

WHEREAS, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful organizers have

scheduled cleanup events in which residents of all 67 counties

can participate and have posted those events at

http://gacofpa.org/greatpacleanup/GPCMainSearch.asp; and

WHEREAS, In 2011, Keep America Beautiful recognized the

Department of Transportation for exemplary contributions and

support of the Great American Cleanup of PA and the national

Great American Cleanup for the eighth consecutive year; and

WHEREAS, In 2011, Keep America Beautiful recognized Keep

Pennsylvania Beautiful for 100% county participation in the

Great American Cleanup of PA; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize and

honor the thousands of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and Keep

America Beautiful volunteers and all participating and

supporting agencies and organizations of the Great American

Cleanup of PA for their efforts to keep Pennsylvania beautiful;

and be it further

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge its members

and other elected officials, residents, businesses, nonprofit

organizations and groups and individuals throughout this

Commonwealth to commit to removing litter in our neighborhoods

and communities in support of the Great American Cleanup of PA.