Pittsburgh residents, nonprofits urge council to turn volunteer energy into citywide plan to curb litter and illegal dumping

Pittsburgh City Council held a public hearing on July 9, 2025, on the city’s “trash situation,” drawing residents, community organizers and nonprofit leaders who urged the council and Department of Public Works to move from volunteer cleanups to a funded, citywide operational plan.

Speakers said the problem spans neighborhoods and harms public health, public safety and neighborhood investment. “These workers hold our city together every day,” said Kaylee Groovy, executive director of Allegheny Cleanways, praising municipal crews while urging the city to invest in upstream solutions such as a local transfer station and better curbside containers. Groovy said Allegheny Cleanways and volunteers have removed “close to 8,000,000 pounds of litter” over 25 years and relayed the organization’s cost comparison that cleaning illegal dumpsites runs about $619 per ton versus about $86 per ton for proper disposal.

The hearing drew a steady stream of community testimony about recurring hotspots and barriers to proper disposal. Chris Mitchell, project coordinator for environmental services and a former anti‑litter specialist for Public Works, recommended the city quantify the problem before scaling responses, citing a 2020 pilot of the Pittsburgh Litter Index that surveyed about 3,000 street segments and revealed…