Chester County joins Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful program

WEST CHESTER >> Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has a new affiliate, Keep Chester County Beautiful.

At the request of the Chester County Commissioners, the affiliate will be housed in and become a program of the Chester County Planning Commission. The certification of this new affiliate marked the culmination of a public-private-civic partnership process that began with West Vincent Litter Lifters. The Litter Lifters have been an active force, cleaning up litter and illegal dumping through the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Pick Up Pennsylvania program since 2020.

Keep Chester County Beautiful completed the process of becoming an affiliate by conducting Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Community Assessment, which is done to gather data about Chester County in six categories: residents’ attitudes about litter and community image, existing litter prevention programs, leaders of community and beautification efforts, existing waste and recycling policies, past and current community revitalization efforts, and active volunteer groups. The results of the community assessment will be used to guide the development of a local plan to change attitudes and behaviors regarding litter, recycling, beautification, and related issues.

“We place great importance on keeping our county beautiful, and value the guidance of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and all that the organization does to support communities like ours,” Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline said in a joint statement.

“We also thank everyone associated with West Vincent Litter Lifters for their enthusiasm and their request for a countywide effort to clean up litter and reduce waste. Their persistence helped to focus our attention on seeking a solution for litter control and establishing a Chester County affiliate of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful fits well with our county’s sustainability goals.”

Over the next several years, Keep Chester County Beautiful will focus on litter abatement, waste reduction, beautification, and connecting schools and volunteer groups to foster more environmental stewardship opportunities. More information can be found on their new website, www.chescoplanning.org/Environmental/KCCB/.

Carrie J. Conwell, AICP senior environmental planner, and Rachael Griffith, RLA, AICP sustainability director, will serve as coordinators for the Keep Chester County Beautiful affiliate programs. Conwell will serve as the affiliate’s point person and can be reached at 610-344-6285 or sustainability@chesco.org.

“Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful congratulates and welcomes Keep Chester County Beautiful. We are grateful to the Chester County Commissioners and the County’s Planning Commission for supporting the affiliate and seeing the value in our programs, tools, and resources that we offer residents to help keep their communities clean and beautiful. We’re looking forward to working together to enhance existing programs and welcome Chester County to our Affiliate Network.” said Shannon Reiter, President of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

For more information about Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s local affiliates, visit www.keeppabeautiful.org and choose Affiliate Network. To inquire about starting an affiliate, contact Kylie McCutcheon at kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful. org or 724-836-4121 x114.