Citing increased levels of litter, PennDOT and state police warn of penalties

Apr. 24—DUNMORE — Litterbugs beware.

Citing increased reports of rubbish on the sides of area roads, officials from the state police and state Department of Transportation met Friday at PennDOT's district office in Dunmore to issue a warning to those who would toss their garbage out of the window: it could cost you time and money.

"Keep that trash in your car," said Trooper First Class Bob Urban, a spokesman for the Dunmore-based Troop R. "I don't know if people got more lazy during the pandemic when it comes to garbage or anything, but there's definitely more out there. So hopefully today with this press conference, we could drive that home, that we're going to be looking, we're going to enforce it."

Littering generally carries penalties, but drivers who chuck their trash in anything other than a garbage can can expect steeper fines and to spend time performing community service if they do so on specific roads called "litter enforcement corridors." Established in June 2018, convictions for littering and illegal dumping in such a corridor include penalties up to $1,800 in fines and up to 30 hours of community service, Urban said.

The Casey Highway, beginning near the Keystone Sanitary Landfill, is such a corridor in Lackawanna County. The bill signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf that established the enhanced penalties designated all scenic highways, including the Casey Highway, as enforcement corridors.

Trash snagged on trees lining the sides of the highway near the landfill blew in the wind Friday. Last month, the landfill notified the state Department of Environmental Protection that a torrent of plastic bags escaped through a damaged litter fence. The landfill dispatched 14 employees to clean it up.

Asked if litter from the landfill may factor in, Urban noted that they have barriers in place but "a lot of times things can't be controlled, whether it's wind or acts of God." People who dump their trash intentionally should be wary.

"A lot of times people it's just second nature, they don't even think anything of it," Urban said. "They think there's nobody watching. They flick that cigarette butt out the window, they throw that paper out the window. Nine times out of 10, you know, probably we don't see it, unfortunately. But we're out there looking all the time for that and we'll be enforcing it."

Other enforcement corridors in the area include a stretch of state Route 6 near Tunkhannock and part of state Route 92 in northern Susquehanna County, according to PennDOT.

PennDOT District Executive Rich Roman said additional roads can be designated as enforcement corridors. Illegal Dump Free PA, an advocacy initiative launched by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, said counties or municipalities can designate a local route within their borders and PennDOT can designate a state route. Municipalities can petition PennDOT to designate a state route.

Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti, who attended Friday's news conference, floated the possibility of a study to see where in the city such a corridor could be designated. Main Avenue in West Side could be one road that they might tackle, as well as areas in the city's downtown, she said.

Roman said reducing litter doesn't have to be an difficult process. Simply carry a garbage bag in your vehicle.

"We just implore people to be educated about littering and to simply not do it," he said. "Wait to get to your destination, wait to get to your location, then dispose of your garbage appropriately."

Contact the writer: jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100, x5187; @jkohutTT on Twitter.