Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Five years ago, the Clean Pittsburgh Commission began a partnership with the City of Pittsburgh to eradicate litter and illegal dump sites and has recruited more than 103,300 volunteer stewards toward that end.
A recent "State of the City" report issued by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and commission chair Boris Weinstein shows that in five years, the effort -- which includes city departments, Allegheny CleanWays, Stash the Trash and schools -- has collected an estimated 1,600 tons of litter, cleared 7,000 tires from illegal dumpsites and recycled more than 65,000 tons of waste into 16,000 tons of compost.
During this five-year period, the city saved $1.5 million in landfill costs and generated $3 million income, double the return from 2010. The city has demolished more than 2,000 abandoned or dilapidated buildings in five years and removed 8,000 abandoned vehicles.
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