Nesquehoning (25-Dec-2016)

Took advantage of the holiday and hit a road in Nesquehoning. Only one car passed the entire time, it stopped and I was asked what I was doing. When I explained, the man informed me that he would take a bag with him the next time he was out hunting and clean up some trash!

It was the normal stuff I find along this roadway. I have cleaned this section, many, many times.

Not a large haul, but something is more than nothing. I packed it all in the car and then I was headed home for a holiday meal. 
You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash

Like this project? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA

Nesquehoning (13-Apr-2016)

It was such a nice day I decided for the clean-up I would get out on the water. Before I could do that I had to take Penny for a walk. I drove to a road that doesn't get much traffic and that we used to walk a lot. I cleaned this area multiple times last year and I didn't think there would be much trash. I was wrong and this ended up being more of a clean-up than a walk. Penny didn't seem happy with me and I wasn't happy with all of the trash. 

Not even out of the pull-off where I park and I found several new places where people have been dumping since last year. All I could take out on this trip were recyclables, so in this specific area I tied Penny up and got to work picking through everything that others cast over the edge. Walking on yard waste commingled with trash including broken glass and metal objects is not fun. I took out all of the recyclables I could see or reach. 

All of this came from just around the pull-off. I felt sick after finding all of this. I put a lot of time into this area last year and just over the winter it has become worse than it ever was. 

I continued down the road and back with Penny. The road was as it normally is and I walked just long enough to fill my pack.

For an unplanned clean-up I got a lot. The pack and what I collected around the pull-off filled a large contractor size trash bag. I took Penny home after this and got my gear together for the planned clean-up of the day. 

You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash

Like this blog? Like it on Facebook: Taking Out the Trash in Eastern PA

Nesquehoning (21-Dec-2015)

With the forecast looking like rain for the rest of the week I decided today would be best for getting back to the road. Picking up where I left off yesterday, I set my goal for three bags and got to cleaning. In the photo to the right there is a small wetland area in the depression off of the roadside. With low temperatures today I couldn't get everything out of it. This will be high on my list in the spring when it warms up again. Even though this wetland is small and right next to the road it could still contain a variety of amphibian life. That is reason enough to get back there and do a better job when it warms up.

The first bag of the day. There was a lot more styrofoam than I wanted to collect, but it was there so it went in the bag. This is a concern, because currently I can only dispose of a limited amount of non-recyclables. 

It is the holiday season and I have been seeing more holiday themed trash. This was a whole packet of labels. It is sad to see things like this, it takes natural resources to create, it is wrapped in plastic, someone paid money for it and it just ends up unused on the roadside. There is so much waste in our society and I find so much stuff that I feel there is no point to. Soda and water bottles are number one on that list. I can't believe how many I find with just a sip or two out of discarded on the road. 

This fits in with the small rant above. I really just took this photo because an unopened pack of butter was just about the most interesting thing along the roadside today. I would like to point out if you like fast food and would like to curb your appetite for it, start doing trash clean-ups. After picking up so many fast food cups and seeing the paper bags everywhere I go, I have lost pretty much all interest in fast food. 

The second bag filled today. Can you tell I forgot to take a photo of it before I started a new bag and continued on? I wasn't going back, I really just wanted to get the three bags filled and get off the road. 

The third bag filled quickly and I picked up some large plastic containers as well. In addition I found an unused flex bag, just like the ones I use, but I think this one was a little larger. I had a long walk back to the car on the opposite side of the road and a portion of it I haven't cleaned yet. 

I stuck to the road and did not go down the embankment on the way back. I still filled the found bag bringing the days total up to four. I will have to go back and get everything below the embankment. Not only small trash, but even more tires down there. Finding funding to get rid of tires is definitely high on the priority list for the new year. Today I did not find any syringes, I'm not complaining, I just found it odd. I did find another bag for them, thankfully nothing was in it. 

Getting the last bag and the two containers into the car took some pushing and shoving. Like yesterday there really is a difference visually on the section of road I have been working on. It isn't perfect, there are still paper products, car parts and larger non-recyclable items, but it is a big difference from what it was. Happy to finish by 1pm, this gave me enough time to get home, do a sort and take everything from the past week to the recycling depot. 

You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash

Nesquehoning (16-Dec-2015)

Back on route 93 today. This is the third road clean-up of this section and I started off where I left off before. Looking at the roadside in this photo, it doesn't seem that trashy. A lot of items that have been there for awhile are hidden in the high grass and even some of the new stuff can't be seen until you are right on top of it. 

I had two goals in mind for today's trip. The first was to take out two full bags of trash and the second was to clean both sides of the road to the point where route 93 starts heading down the Broad Mountain. Before I made it to the point where the road starts going down I had already filled one bag and the truck pull off ahead looked very trashy. 

On of the items around the truck pull off was this dandy plastic hat. I wonder if it is going to be labeled as to what type of plastic it is. I am guessing it won't be recyclable. 

Another place where it seems individuals either add or change oil in their vehicles. Both regular size and extra large oil containers were scattered about. By the end of the pull off I had my second bag filled. I left the two bags against the tree and headed back for my car. 

I walked back to my car on the opposite side and if there hadn't been much trash going back I probably would have only went with my two bag goal. Instead there looked to be more than the other side. When I got to my car I grabbed another bag, a large contractor bag this times and set out to pick up the side I just walked back. 

I just about filled the contractor bag, making the total for the day three full bags. Like the past couple road clean-ups I was focusing on plastics, aluminum, styrofoam and unbroken glass. The items I generally leave behind are paper products, which will biodegrade and mystery bags. 

You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project here: Help Fund Taking Out the Trash

Route 93 (18-Nov-2015)

This section of route 93 is right outside of Nesquehoning. I tend not to do road clean-ups that much, but I may be doing more in the coming weeks. I picked this site in particular due to a large wetland that 93 runs through. The wetland flows into Jeans Run, which travels down the Broad Mountain joining the Nesquehoning Creek at the bottom, the Nesquehoning Creek then runs into the Lehigh River. Potentially items discarded off of the side of 93 in this section could traverse that entire route or just end up anywhere along it.    

In a perfect world before the Game Commission did a prescribed burn in this area they would have first done a litter clean-up at least on the roadside. Instead they set fire not only to the underbrush, but also to a good amount of trash. There were many burned items, most of which can no longer be recycled. 

The wetland on the east side of the road is more open with a few taller trees, on the right it is thick with smaller trees and others woody plants. If you drive by this area in the spring keep your windows open and listen for the songs of Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs! 

This is the Common Cattail. A native aquatic plant, like its name states it is common throughout PA wetlands. Non-native species, like phragmites, can out compete this plant and lead to its extripation from an area. In this wetland there are sections that phragmites has already taken over.

Until you do a roadside clean-up, I don't think you will fully realize just how many people drink and drive. More than half the cans I collected are beer cans and most of the roadside clean-ups have the same results. 

My goal for the day was two bags. By the time I got to this speed limit sign my first bag was full, I headed across the road and started on the next. Whenever I do road clean-ups I like to use markers as stopping points it allows me to pick up where I left off on the next time out. 

This just isn't a normal November. Flower's should just not be blooming now.

In total I took out a little over two bags and the section of road I worked on wasn't that big at all. I wonder just how many tons of trash are sitting on Pennsylvania's roadsides right now? 

You too can help with taking out the trash! If you get out hiking take a grocery bag with you, give it a second use and fill it with trash while you are out! Every bit helps. You can also help contributing to this project at:gofundme.com/takingoutthetrash