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MAY
2009
Pennsylvania DEP awards grants
to clear dump sites
Communities and non-profit groups
across Pennsylvania will receive
financial assistance to help
clean up more than 350 illegal
dump sites as Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP)
acting Secretary John Hanger
announced nearly $500,000 in
Community Cleanup Program Illegal
Dump Grants.
Hanger said illegal dump sites
are a problem across the state.
These grants will assist partnerships
of communities, organizations,
businesses and local governments
to clean up neighborhoods and
natural areas that have become
eyesores and threats to the
public’s health and safety and
the environment.
Grants of up to $25,000 were
awarded on a competitive basis
to help fund 42 organizations
with cleanup projects in 31
counties. These cleanup efforts
are expected to remove an estimated
2,200 tons of illegally discarded
trash from the environment.
Hanger said cleaning up illegal
dump sites is just the beginning.
He stressed the need for education,
surveillance and enforcement
to prevent illegal dumping.
Last month, PA CleanWays, in
conjunction with DEP, conducted
illegal dump cleanup workshops
at five locations across the
state.
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