STATE COLLEGE – More than 70 tons of trash, refuse and other unwanted items were collected for recycling or proper disposal in Centre County over the past two weeks.
On Earth Day, April 23, ClearWater Conservancy partnered with Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority to rid 76,200 pounds of trash from roadsides, parks, streams and sinkholes. On April 28 and 29, CCRRA opened its gates for a household hazardous waste collection, which saw more than 1,000 vehicles carrying 64,000 pounds of materials prepared for disposal.
“I think both events went very, very well,” said Amy Schirf of CCRRA. “The numbers are always high at these events. We’re glad Centre County is a bit cleaner after such a great effort.”
The ClearWater Conservancy event had a volunteer contingent of 552 members working at combating littering and illegal dumping in local watersheds. In its 21st year, the 2017 Cleanup Day brought out the highest number of volunteers to date, according to organizers.
These volunteers visited 59 sites and collected more than 48,900 pounds of assorted trash, 17,240 pounds of scrap metal and 10,120 pounds of tires, which individually numbered 550.
According to Andrea Murrell of ClearWater Conservancy, this year’s tonnage brings the project total to more than 6.16 million pounds of waste removed from local streams, roadways, sinkholes and illegal dumping sites since 1997.
“It always amazes me that we, the few, can do so much in a short time,” said Rod Fye, Cleanup Day committee member and enforcement officer at CCRRA. “If many others would change their attitude about littering our roads and improperly disposing of their trash, we could accomplish so much more. It should be our goal to take care of our Mother Earth. We really only have one.”
Despite fewer cars and fewer total tonnage collected, the hazardous waste collection event by CCRRA was successful nonetheless. According to Schirf, residents from 1,066 households, and 32 of the county’s 35 municipalities, took advantage of the program. She noted that several dozen residents from five surrounding counties, and from as far away as Snyder County, participated.
She said the collection brought in plenty of pesticides, household hazardous waste and the equivalent of nearly four miles of fluorescent tubing.
“Centre County residents showed up in force and really showed their environmental caring,” said Joanne Shafer, Centre County’s deputy executive director/recycling coordinator. “The number of participants was up from last year; I think that folks are really more aware of their environment and they want to protect the beauty of our county. Clean air and water are key to the economy of our area. Many county residents were aware of their carbon footprint and combined trips and helped neighbors.”
The event was co-sponsored by CCRA, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. MXI of Langhorne was the successful contractor.
In addition to CCRRA employees, volunteers from Penn State Environmental Health and Safety, and State College Area High School were onsite to assist in checking vehicles.
Photo submitted
Volunteers used any means necessary to clean local waterways during ClearWater Conservancy’s Cleanup Day, held on Earth Day, April 23.
