Allegheny CleanWays

Want to host your own neighborhood litter cleanup?

Join us for a virtual training in August or September. We'll walk you through renting one of our litter kits (includes grabbers, bags, gloves, vests), scheduling your garbage pickup once you're done, and keeping your volunteers safe. Bring all your questions!

Register now:

8/19 https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/A28ttJGzRGSFoGYOSAvl1g #/registration

9/16
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/0laMC0OYSRKRAlENzgRxrQ #/registration

We've updated our cancellation policy! In the wake of another severe air pollution episode this summer, Allegheny CleanWays is now providing special notice and masks for volunteers during orange level alerts. Any alerts at red level or beyond will be cancelled.

For air quality measurements and more info about the EPA's AirNow reporting system, head to airnow.gov. You can also use the AirNow app on iOS or Android devices.

Our crew gets asked a lot of questions about litter, illegal dumping, and disposal. Here are some of your most asked questions, answered!

We're right in the middle of our river cleanup season, with a whole host of volunteer opportunities coming up in August!

Last Friday, we took a group of volunteers (including local Google workers) down the Ohio River to remove accumulated manufactured waste along a stretch of shoreline by Kilbuck Twp. In total, we cleaned up 1,496 pounds. This included lots of discarded plastic barrels, tires with rims, plastic containers, and old pieces of metal and wood.

Check out our August calendar of cleanups by checking out our pinned post or heading to alleghenycleanways.org/getinvolved.

It's shaping up to be an action-packed August, with lots of water cleanup opportunities and regular land cleanups weekly, Friday through Monday.

Saturday, August 8 will be the rescheduled date of our Chartiers Creek Cleanup with Friends of the Riverfront.

Lawrenceville will be the location of our monthly GrateKeepers litter walk on Saturday, August 15, with Espresso A Mano generously providing drinks to volunteers post cleanup.

The second iteration of our concentrated river series will be focusing on the Monongahela River, with three cleanups in a row August 20, 21, and 22.

Finally, capping off the end of the month will be the return of our monthly large group land cleanup, this time in the Pittsburgh's Hill District on August 29!

Plan your August adventures with us now and register by heading to alleghenycleanways.org/getinvolved

Broken electronics are among some of the most commonly dumped items we find. Replacing electronics instead of fixing them can be very costly for us and means wasting materials. When disposed of improperly, the plastic, metals, and toxic chemicals found in many electronics pose a threat to the health of humans and wildlife.

A state bill in Harrisburg could help solve these issues with electronics and other manufactured products!

SB 833 is a Right to Repair bill that would require parts and manuals be available to
owners and independent repair providers, not just the company that made it. The bill recently passed the PA House of Representatives, and is currently in a Senate committee where it must pass out of to get to a full Senate floor vote and the Governor's desk.
You can learn more about this bill and which Senators support it here at palegis.us/legislation under SB 833.

We have two community litter walks coming up on Saturday, July 25!

Brookline, 10am-12pm. Tambellini&Co will be providing volunteers with snacks and drinks post cleanup! https://form.jotform.com/261885503810155

Knoxville, 9am-12pm. Hilltop Alliance will be partnering with us for this cleanup. https://form.jotform.com/261874791319166

Choose your own adventure and sign up now!

Looking to get out on the water this season? Look no further: join Friends of the Riverfront and Allegheny CleanWays for a river-based Water Trail Care opportunity along the Chartiers Creek tributary section of the Three Rivers Water Trail! ⚓

Volunteers will:
Launch and paddle about 5 miles downstream along Chartiers Creek ending in Esplen and collect litter along the way, stopping on the riverbanks where we can.

Registerhttps://friendsoftheriverfront.org/event/water-trail-care/

Registration is limited to 12 participants; we encourage you to bring your own vessel (kayak or canoe) if you have one! Participants that do not have their own will get a seat in the Friends fleet in either a kayak or canoe. The paddle will take between 3-3.5 hours to complete (~1.5 miles per hour). Previous paddling experience required. If you are a beginner or have never paddled before, please reach out to us and we can discuss!