ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer Join State-wide Pa. Cleanup

ShopRite and The Fresh Grocer, both banners of the Keasbey, N.J.-based retailer cooperative Wakefern Food Corp., have signed on as sponsors of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful's 2015 Great American Cleanup of PA.

According to Wakefern spokeswoman Karen Meleta: "ShopRite and The Fresh Grocer stores are owned and operated by families who live in the communities they serve. With deep and personal connections to the great state of Pennsylvania, these family businesses are committed to keeping it clean and beautiful for generations to come. Partnering with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is a great way of solidifying this commitment to preserving and giving back to the communities we serve."

"Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, along with ShopRite and The Fresh Grocer, share the goal of promoting a sustainable environment and livable communities," added Shannon Reiter, president of Greensburg-based Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, the state affiliate of volunteer-based community action and education organization Keep America Beautiful. "The Great American Cleanup empowers citizens to do that locally."

Other retailers supporting this year's cleanup are the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, Giant Eagle Inc., Giant Food Stores Inc., Wawa, Wegmans Food Markets and Weis Markets Inc.

Running March 1-May 31, the 2015 Great American Cleanup of PA consists of litter cleanups, illegal dump cleanups, beautification projects, special collections and educational events. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association will sponsor Let's Pick It Up PA – Everyday April 11- May 4, during which participants will be able to take the trash collected during their cleanup efforts to selected landfills for reduced or free disposal.

Since the annual cleanup began in 2004, more than 1,565,967 volunteers have removed 80,575,227 pounds of litter from the Pennsylvania landscape and planted 136,321 trees, bulbs and flowers.