On Jan. 30, Mercer County moved one step closer to eliminating unwanted trash from the county's 1,300-plus miles of rural and municipal roads and trails.

That was when a small group of citizens, spearheaded by county Recycling Coordinator Don Blakesley, agreed to tackle the problem of illegally dumped garbage by becoming a pre-chapter affiliate of PA CleanWays, a statewide organization dedicated to developing community-based solutions to illegal dumping.

The group's first official meeting is 7 p.m. Wednesday in the County Conservation District Office on Route 19 in Coolspring Township. Anyone who would like to donate time or funds, recommend a cleanup site, or is simply looking for more information is welcome, Blakesley said.

At the meeting, the group plans to appoint an administrator and discuss future plans, including possible recommendations of cleanup sites.

The PA CleanWays program is based on a simple premise: People dump where someone has dumped before. If an area is clean, then dumping decreases.

According to Helen Ostermiller, interim executive director of PA CleanWays, once an area has been cleaned and each subsequent dump is cleaned up as soon as possible, the area stays clean.

The organization also recognizes that eliminating dumping is not the same as cleaning up a dump site. The process is ongoing and requires further steps such as educating the public, providing recycling alternatives, and improving enforcement.

Becoming a PA CleanWays chapter is a commitment. Each chapter is required to be independently funded, so it is clear the community supports the chapter's efforts. Since the process of building community support can be time consuming, a group tests the waters by becoming a prechapter. In return, the state PA CleanWays organization provides logistical and practical support to the fledgling organization during a one- to two-year affiliate phase.

PA CleanWays is taking part in a statewide initiative to clean up dump sites in state forests and parks.

Statewide surveys have identified 147 sites, including at least one near M.K. Goddard State Park. The public lands program has cleaned up 55 sites, with an additional 55 to 75 slated for cleanup in the next 18 months, according to Jerry Zona, northwest regional coordinator for PA CleanWays.

PA CleanWays was founded in 1990 in Westmoreland County. There are 17 county chapters and five pre-chapters, including Mercer County's. To date, PA CleanWays has coordinated the cleanup of more than 190 illegal dump sites, removed over 1,439 tons of trash, 151 tons of metals and nearly 20,000 tires. It has won several awards for its programs, including a 2000 Governor's Environmental Excellence Award and the 1995 Three Rivers Environmental Award.

For more information on the meeting, contact Don Blakesley at dblakesley@mcrpc.com or (724) 981-2412 or simply show up.