Pittsburgh reveals plan to eradicate litter and dumping

PITTSBURGH — On Monday, Mayor William Peduto joined the Department of Public Works and the Clean Pittsburgh Commission to announce the city’s Goals on Littering and Dumping (GOLD) plan for eradicating litter and illegal dumping citywide.

The plan is a two-pronged approach for city investments in anti-littering and dumping initiatives and opportunities for residents to help in their communities.

New initiatives include new high-resolution cameras purchased by the Clean Pittsburgh Commission to be placed at known dumping sites throughout the city to identify those illegally dumping and collect evidence; updating city code to more clearly define litter and illegal dumping violations and to update penalties to include community restitution; and a recommendation to create positions that focus on enforcement and community outreach around illegal dumping, litter and other trash-related issues.

“Littering and illegal dumping is a real problem in our city and it creates blight in our neighborhoods and our hillsides, but we must all work together to combat it,” said Mayor Peduto. “I’d like to thank the Clean Pittsburgh Commission for these important recommendations so that the city can dedicate more resources to addressing littering and dumping and look forward to continuing to working with our partners and our residents towards zero litter in our beautiful city.”

A recent litter cost study indicates that in Pennsylvania, taxpayers spend almost $68 million on litter and illegal dumping mitigation. Pittsburgh has over 800 known illegal dumping sites and is making investments to strengthen enforcement efforts to catch the perpetrators of this ugly crime that is seen frequently citywide. The City and Clean Pittsburgh Commission have announced new initiatives to combat litter.

A copy of the plan is available here.

RAW: Upper St. Clair home leveled in fire

©2021 Cox Media Group