Pennsylvania volunteers picked up 6.7 million pounds of trash throughout the state during the Great Pennsylvania Cleanup held on Earth Day, the state Department of Environmental Protection said today.

During 5,689 collection events, 132,245 volunteers pitched in to collect 312,396 bags of trash from roads, parks, schools, waterways, wildlife areas and communities. The workers removed 460,000 pounds of illegally dumped trash and 11,000 tires.

Volunteers from 1,068 communities in all 67 Pennsylvania counties participated, picking up litter along 13,811 miles of road, railroad tracks, trails, waterways and shorelines and cleaning 2,470 acres of park and wetlands.

Entire contents copyright 2005 by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved.