Keep Chester County Beautiful
Chester County is an official county affiliate of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful's vision is a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania, and over the past 30+ years, they have worked with hundreds of thousands of volunteers across the state to pick up nearly 152 million pounds of trash from roadways, waterways, greenways, forests, and other community spaces. Keep PA Beautiful is a state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc. The goal of Keep Chester County Beautiful is to expand capacity within the county for litter abatement, waste reduction, beautification and environmental stewardship.
Countywide Municipal Litter Survey
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 are helping 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.
Keep Chester County Beautiful Steering Committee
- Jay Erb, Park Ranger, Chester County Parks and Preservation
- Kathleen Harney, Clinton District 6-2 Adopt a Highway, PennDOT
- Meagan Hopkins Doerr, Master Watershed Steward Coordinator, Penn State Extension
- Kate Hutelmyer, Water Resources Planner, Chester County Water Resources Authority
- Beth Intoccia, Founder, Litter Lifters of West Vincent
- Patti Lynn, County Recycling Coordinator, Chester County Solid Waste Authority
- Bruce McClure, Supervisor, Chester County Probation
- Kelly McDowell, Great American Clean Up Chester County
- Scott Mengle, SECCRA General Manager, Southeastern Chester County Refuse Authority
- Chris Strohmaier, Manager, Chester County Conservation District
- Brian Winslow, Watershed Conservation Director, Brandywine Red Clay Alliance
Why litter is a problem in Pennsylvania and Chester County
Recent research in Pennsylvania shows that only 3% of Pennsylvanians approve of litter, but 40-50% are littering. This results in approximately 502.5 MILLION pieces of litter along our roadways. And litter isn't just ugly to look at, it can contaminate the environment and cause public health risks.
Photo credit: Beth Intoccia, Litter Lifters of West Vincent
Litter Reduction and Beautification in Pennsylvania
PA Litter Action Plan
The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Department of Transportation (PennDOT), and Keep PA Beautiful, partnered in 2018 to perform a research study to document the quantity, composition and sources of litter in Pennsylvania. The findings were significant. There are approximately 502.5 million pieces of litter on Pennsylvania roadways, primarily cigarette butts and plastic bottles. Furthermore, it found that of the nine cities studied, more than $68.5 million is spent annually on efforts to address litter and illegal dumping. Using this information and Pennsylvania specific data the first ever Statewide Litter Action Plan was created, with a goal of changing behaviors to curb the statewide litter problem. One of the first recommendations to be addressed was the creation of the anti-litter campaign, "PA Fights Dirty: Every Litter Bit Matters", which is aims to shift the narrative from cleaning up the mess to changing behaviors.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful
The core programming of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful focuses on litter and illegal dump prevention, cleanup, community greening, proper waste handling, and sustainable practices. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful works with many partnering organizations at the state and grassroots level to accomplish their goal of a clean and beautiful Pennsylvania. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is the state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, Inc., the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. Learn more about Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.
View the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful strategic plan.
Outdoor Advertising
Did you know that according to State Highway Law, PennDOT controls signage within the State highway right-of-way? Check out PennDOT's Outdoor Advertising Control Q&A sheet to find out more, such as how wide a right-of-way is and whether private signs — campaign signs, sale signs, and business advertising signs, among others — can be placed in those areas. Also check out PennDOT's resources and information on outdoor advertising control.
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