PennEnvironment and friends give Heinz National Wildlife Refuge a spring cleanup

If Philly-area residents venture out this spring to the Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, they’ll likely find less trash in this popular part of our national parks system.

To celebrate Earth Day 2019, PennEnvironment joined staff and members of the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, and state Reps. Dave Delloso and Mike Zabel for a cleanup day on April 20. Volunteers picked up dozens of bags of trash, much of which was made up of single-use plastics.

“Every day, vast amounts plastic pollution enters our rivers, lakes and streams,” said Conservation Associate Jessica Bellwoar. “We need to shift toward zero waste if we are going to stop plastic pollution and keep places like the Heinz Refuge beautiful and trash-free.”

In Harrisburg, we’re working to pass House Bill 627, which would help ban one of the worst kinds of plastic pollution: single-use containers made of polystyrene, or what most call Styrofoam.

Photo: PennEnvironment’s Tom Fogel speaking to attendees at the clean up at John Heinz Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Harris Fogel.