In 2018, Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Transportation conducted a study to evaluate how litter impacts the state.
Over the course of one year, the departments found approximately 502.5 million pieces of litter along the state’s roadways.
Much of this trash plagues the Lehigh Valley.
Litter and illegal dumping cost the city of Allentown around $4.5 million in 2020, according to a Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful study.
The Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners said it is unlawful for any person to throw or cause trash to be thrown in public areas. Violation of this law is punishable with fines ranging from $300 to $1,000.
However, this legislation hasn’t stopped all Bethlehem residents from littering. In response, many community members have taken action.
The Brown and White spoke to three Lehigh Valley residents and organizations actively working to prevent trash buildup by cleaning up the area.
Sandra Zajacek, operations manager of the SouthSide Ambassadors
Sandra Zajacek has loved cleaning the streams around her home since she was a little girl.
This passion inspired the environmentalist to start working at the SouthSide Ambassadors — a team of three that picks up litter, empties trash cans and removes graffiti and weeds in designated areas of South Bethlehem.
The ambassadors program is primarily funded by Lehigh University with other contributors including Community Action Lehigh Valley, the Stone House Group and Bethlehem Parking Authority. It’s managed by the Bethlehem Economic Development Corporation, which was launched by Block by Block, a company dedicated to urban revitalization.
The SouthSide Ambassadors is one of 200 programs organized by Block by Block, which carries out similar work in cities nationwide.
Zajacek’s team works year-round. The team completes most of their work early in the morning, cleaning common areas and high traffic zones to promote walkability.
She said a primary initiative of the ambassadors is to reduce the amount of cigarette butts littered on the streets. Through the cigarette recycling program TerraCycle, Zajacek has removed and recycled 600 pounds of cigarette waste in the Allentown, Easton and Bethlehem areas.
Beyond their cleaning efforts, she said the ambassadors are committed to greeting every person they encounter during their work.
“When you say hello, it’s community development,” Zajacek said. “By one greeting and smile, we could change people’s attitude toward their surroundings.”
Zajacek’s said her love for the community has kept her working with the ambassadors for over 16 years.
In the future, she hopes to expand the team and strengthen their efforts.
Kathleen Frederick, communications specialist for Lehigh Library and Technology Services
At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Kathleen Frederick discovered a live stream of a trash cleanup on social media. Looking for COVID-safe activities, she said she was inspired to start picking up trash during her free time.
Frederick began by cleaning up her immediate neighborhood. Soon, with her sister by her side, she extended her efforts to North and South Bethlehem.
In South Bethlehem, she said the main problem areas were student housing blocks encompassing Webster Street and Hayes Street, and she recalls East Fifth Street and Fourth Street often having the most litter.
Frederick said she noticed a shift in the spring of 2022, when trash buildup surrounding student housing began to decrease.
Since then, she still regularly checks areas in South Bethlehem, including Fifth and Sixth Streets, as well as Yosko Park by Atlantic Street and Buchanan Street.
However, Frederick said she’s now moved most of her trash cleanup efforts in Allentown, where the majority of litter comes from people throwing items out of car windows.
She organizes group cleanups in Allentown where she said nearly100 bags of trash are often collected. Some areas are completely re-trashed in as little as two months after a cleanup.
Frederick has inspired others to get involved through her social media, where she often posts before-and-after pictures that her followers describe as satisfying.
She said she hopes showing people how their community looks when it’s clean will inspire them to take part in picking up trash.
“It isn’t like I’m asking you to learn a new skill,” Frederick said. “You grab a glove, a bag and one of those grabbers,if you want it, and that’s all the equipment you need. All it requires is your time. It’s the easiest thing.
Volunteers collect trash through the Lehigh Valley Trash Pact. Kyra Kunsman started the community group during the COVID pandemic and has cleaned 188 parks since its conception. (Courtesy of Kyra Kunsman)
Kyra Kunsman, founder of the Lehigh Valley Trash Pact
Similar to Frederick, Kyra Kunsman said she was experiencing “cabin fever” in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.
As a mother who just welcomed her second child, Kunsman said she values having clean parks where her children can play freely. She began to clean up parks by herself, and soon after, others asked if they could join her.
The growing number of cleanup participants inspired Kunsman to start the Lehigh Valley Trash Pact — a volunteer program through which people can join weekend cleanups or other events to pick up litter in the Lehigh Valley.
Kunsman said the Trash Pact primarily focuses on parks in cities like Bethlehem, Allentown and Nazareth, and she’s noticed that Allentown often has the most trash buildup.
She said she hosts cleanups when weather permits, typically from April until November. She primarily conducts her outreach through social media and said she makes signing up to volunteer as easy as possible by providing links in her Instagram bio.
Since the program’s conception in 2020, Kunsman said they’ve cleaned a total of 188 parks with 279 volunteers.. This year, the group has cleaned 54 parks with 86 volunteers.
“Whether it’s a mom with her kids or students from college or businesses, I love bringing the community together,” Kunsman said.
Comment policy
Comments posted to The Brown and White website are reviewed by a moderator before being approved. Incendiary speech or harassing language, including comments targeted at individuals, may be deemed unacceptable and not published. Spam and other soliciting will also be declined.
The Brown and White also reserves the right to not publish entirely anonymous comments.