Announcements

Citizens in the California-Kirkbride neighborhood and Allegheny CleanWays DumpBusters have just completed a cleanup on Morrison Street hilltop that extended down the hillside almost to Brighton Road.  The multi-day cleanup took place on Monday, November 8th, 15th and 22nd 2010.

The steep wooded hillside that starts at the top of Morrison St. and continues down to Brighton Rd., has over the years been a dumping ground for tires (many with rims), seats out of vehicles, windshields, radios and various car/truck parts. (Maybe from a garage?).

"It's time to Redd Up Pittsburgh, 'cause company's coming!" That was something former Mayor Bob O’Connor said referring to cleaning up the city for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game a few years ago. Pittsburghers took him very serious because we are still Redding Up the Burgh twice a year.

This fall “Pitt makes a Difference” students teamed up with local community volunteers to clean up over 150 communities throughout western Pennsylvania. There were 3,000 Pitt volunteers and Pitt staff and thousands more community volunteers participating in this fall’s Redd Up.

Clean Pittsburgh Commission chairperson Boris Weinstein estimates 10,000 to 15,000 volunteers and public works departments hauled away well over 100 tons of litter/trash/tires etc. Many places like Greenfield, West End, Mexican War Streets, Mt. Oliver,Beechview and Mt. Washington, tackled illegal dumps, thanks to the Pitt students.

Again this year Allegheny CleanWays provided gloves and trash bags to the volunteers. We distributed over 3000 pairs of gloves and 6500 trash bags.

About a year ago, Joe Divack was paying his respects to relatives buried in a cemetery in the Sheraden section of Pittsburgh. As he was leaving the cemetery, he noticed some litter and debris. Further investigation led to the discovery of an illegal dumpsite. It took Joe numerous visits, but he completely removed that illegal dumpsite. By the time he finished, he was hooked! Throughout the winter, Joe used the Pittsburgh Illegal Dumpsite Survey to locate and clean up dumpsites, usually working daily.   By spring, Joe was a regular at all of Allegheny CleanWays cleanups. Joe was the impetus to the Allegheny CleanWays’ Rapid Response Team (DumpBusters), a small group of seriously committed and trained volunteers who respond quickly to dumping situations.

Allegheny CleanWays was proud to honor Joe at Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful's Annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner at the Fred Rogers Center, St. Vincent's College, Latrobe, PA on October 27th, 2010.

Has this beautiful weather put you in the cleaning mode? Do you have cans of old paint, solvents, cleaners, antifreeze, paint thinners, chemical strippers, insecticides, kerosene, lighter fluid, lye, mothballs, pool chemicals or other household hazardous waste products to dispose of?  Even a can or two of mystery stuff?

It is hard to believe it is September already. It was a long hot summer and the Tireless Project was busy with many a cleanup on our three rivers. Visit our Facebook page for photos of the most recent cleanup at Duck Hollow (again).

As the weather cools and vegetation starts dying off, Allegheny CleanWays is preparing for our busiest time of the year. It is dumpsite cleanup season. We are in the process of scheduling cleanups throughout the fall. If your group, neighborhood, church, Scouts, or just a bunch of friends know of  a dump in Allegheny County that you would like to clean up and need some guidance with, contact us. We can help. Allegheny CleanWays can provide supplies, training and manpower.

Again this year Allegheny CleanWays will be assisting with Pittsburgh's fall weekend Redd Up on Oct. 15-16-17. The University of Pittsburgh's "Pitt Make a Difference Day" will be providing 3000 student volunteers to 60 Pittsburgh neighborhoods. Visit the Clean Pittsburgh Commission for more information.