Municipal Litter Survey Identifies Key Challenges and Opportunities
July 2025
Keep Chester County Beautiful (KCCB) administered a municipal survey this past spring to better understand how communities in Chester County manage their litter and prioritize their beautification efforts. The survey was sent to all municipal managers and secretaries, requesting that they distribute it to their staff or EACs for completion. Of the county's 73 municipalities, we received responses from 50. Among the things we learned were:
- 60% of respondents have some form of litter policies in place, such as ordinances, community outreach, operations, and enforcement, but most municipalities lack a comprehensive approach.
- 57% of respondents held litter clean-up events in 2024.
- 63% of respondents have a committee, group, or staff position that deals with litter, cleanups, prevention, and enforcement.
- 63% feel that litter is a minor issue for their municipality, with most of the litter being found on state roads, followed by local roads and water bodies.
- 37% of municipal respondents felt that illegal dumping was a challenge in their municipality.
- 95% of respondents stated that people discarding trash while walking or driving was the main source of litter.
- The greatest challenges were finding volunteers, educating residents, and raising awareness.
- The greatest opportunities were in engaging youth, educating residents, and expanding or holding more clean-up events.
The results help KCCB and its partners better understand how litter and beautification efforts are managed across the county, identify key challenges, and highlight opportunities for collaboration and improvement. This information will guide our work as a Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Affiliate and support our efforts to connect municipalities with relevant programs, resources, and support.
To view the survey results, find out more about programs and resources, or learn how to host or register for an event, visit the KCCB homepage.