Tame the Trash!
Abigail Rupp is currently completing her Girl Scout Gold Award project, and her project is aimed at cleaning trash in public parks. She is teaming up with Get Outdoors (GO) York! to help promote her project, Tame the Trash, and urges people to pick up trash while completing the hikes around York County. She has an incentive where, if you pick up trash while on the trails and take a picture to show to a library, you can claim a sticker at one of the libraries as a reward (while supplies last)! You can use the white Wellspan bag with the gloves inside that you picked up from your library for small jobs — and you can reuse it! Sticker options include:
Trash Cleanup Safety Tips
We can help by not leaving our own trash and picking up others' trash left behind, but please be careful! Here are some tips for your family:
- Wear gloves and/or use a trash grabber.
- Avoid touching trash to your face or other parts of your body.
- Use a sturdy trash bag before disposing of it safely at a park trash can; if the park has no cans, take it home.
- Be aware of hazardous materials — glass shards, chemicals, medical supplies — alert an adult.
- Be aware if trash has a specific place for its disposal — electronics, appliances, etc.
Trash Statistics
- In the national parks, 70 million tons of trash are generated each year.
- Trash in parks can contaminate nearby waters, which spreads to larger bodies of water, such as the Chesapeake Bay where it can harm aquatic species. This happens because trash can reduce light levels, oxygen levels, or could be eaten by wildlife.
- Trash is a health hazard to animals, the environment and us -- it is flammable and can attract bacteria.
- Over 500 million pieces of litter can be found on PA’s roadways yearly (keeppabeautiful.org).
- Pennsylvania is the #3 state for the most waste/trash per person (2022).
Want to Help Out More?
Click here to join Abby's group, "Tame the Trash" on Facebook!
