Pick Up Pennsylvania Community Improvement & Litter Free School Programs
10/9/2026
Pick Up Pennsylvania is the Commonwealth’s largest community improvement program. Each fall, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful holds Pick Up Pennsylvania in support of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup to prevent litter from reaching our waterways. Events scheduled from September 1 through November 30 receive free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests provided by support from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and PennDOT, as supplies last. Events must be registered at 2026 Pick Up Pennsylvania to receive free cleanup supplies.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is proud to sponsor the 2026 Pennsylvania Resources Council, Gene Capaldi Lens on Litter photo contest, Before and After category. Participants are eligible for a monetary prize of $500. One adult and one student winner will be awarded. To qualify, submissions to Lens On Litter in the before and after category, must be a Pick Up Pennsylvania registered and reported event. Register your event with Pick Up Pennsylvania here: 2026 Pick Up Pennsylvania. Enter the Lens On Litter contest at Lens on Litter Contest - PRC webpage.
Questions about Pick Up Pennsylvania can be answered by Sara Majorsky, smajorsky@keeppabeautiful.org or Heather Manhart, hmanhart@keeppabeautiful.org. For phone inquiries, please call 724-836-4121.
For additional information, including sample social media posts, a press release, videos, and flyers (in English and Spanish) can be found in a Promotional Toolkit at this link: Supplies & Resources - Keep PA Beautiful.
Litter Free School Program
Schools in Pennsylvania can keep their school grounds litter free with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Litter Free School Zone Program. The program encourages hands-on activities to teach environmental stewardship and responsibility and can be combined with a lesson on how litter affects animals, people, water quality, or economics. Responsibilities include planning two litter sweeps per school year and can include supporting activities like creating and caring for pollinator and rain gardens. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful provides a Litter Free School Zone sign and supplies of gloves and vests! For more information or to complete an application visit the Litter Free School Zone - Keep PA Beautiful webpage.
