PA CleanWays of Washington County, a chapter of PA CleanWays, was formed in July 2009 with support from local residents and partnering organizations concerned about illegal dumping in the county. Partnering organizations include the Washington County Department of Parks and Recreation, Washington County Planning Commission, Chartiers Creek Watershed Association, Washington County Watershed Alliance, and the Washington County Conservation District.

The chapter focuses on cleanups of illegal dumps and educating the public on the detriments of illegal dumping and littering. We held our first cleanup in Hanover Township in October along Devil's Den Road and removed 385 tires from a dumpsite. Prior to our chapter formation, PA CleanWays held 9 cleanups in Washington County over the past five years and removed and properly disposed 49.94 tons of trash as well as recycled over 1,500 tires!

Volunteers can also 'adopt' sites, which includes monitoring and disposing of any additional trash that accumulates at a cleaned dumpsite or littered areas such as along a section of a municipal road. Currently there are four adoptions in Washington County.

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Unfortunately, illegal dumping continues to be a problem in the county. The Washington County Illegal Dump Survey was completed by PA CleanWays in 2005 to identify illegal dumpsites within the county. The survey results show that Washington County has 126 illegal dumpsites that total over 317 tons of trash. We could use your help as we move forward to empower residents of Washington County to eliminate illegal dumping and littering in the county.

Please check our Calendar of Events for upcoming cleanups. If you would like to become a volunteer for the chapter, please contact Laurie Popeck, Chapter Coordinator, by e-mail. If you would like to make a donation to PA CleanWays of Washington County to help support chapter activities, please consider giving to the PA CleanWays Clean and Green Fund.