There were many who thought the idea was ridiculous, arguing that people had dumped garbage in the mountains for years and that the practice would never stop. There were others who were angered by Kaleta — either because they were caught littering or felt he unfairly targeted all-terrain vehicle (ATV) riders. Some even stopped doing business at his Shamokin taxidermy shop.

But he proved the doubters and the unbelievers wrong.

On Wednesday, Kaleta received a round of applause from a gathering of people assembled at the inaugural summit of the Clean up Our Anthracite Land and Streams (COALS) initiative. Just 20 months since volunteers entered the woods off of Snake Road between Ashland and Mount Carmel to perform the initial cleanup of an illegal dump site, COALS is going statewide.

“It’s encouraging to see it grow,” Kaleta said during the summit. “Especially this big and this fast in the short amount of time,” added Susan Zaner, treasurer of Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance (SCRA).

It’s working, too, Kaleta said. “We’re seeing less new garbage (dumped illegally),” he said.

Since April 2005, COALS volunteers participated in more than 50 cleanups, dragging 500 tons of refuse and more than 90,000 discarded tires from area woodlands. Of the 58 citations issued, 49 ended in pleas or verdicts of guilty. Three are out on bench warrants, while five others were issued notices of violations. One man alone was fined $2,500.

Kathleen McGinty, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), called COALS a new, fresh environmental effort. A revolution, of sorts.

“It’s an innovative program that will be used to rid illegal dump sites across Pennsylvania,” McGinty announced.

“Too ambitious? Who’s up for the job?” she said to a response of cheers and applause.

President of Habitat for Wildlife, Kaleta helps look after 1,000 acres of land in Excelsior — 65 percent owned by Reading Anthracite, the remainder belonging to Northumberland County. He’s planted more than 14,000 saplings on the land, along with tending to 21 acres of natural food and cover for animals. It had been cleared of truckloads of debris during one Great Pennsylvania Cleanup. Just weeks later, the trucks returned to dump garbage all over the access road. This act of disregard and disrespect fueled his desire to take on illegal dumping.

He was recognized as the one who got the ball rolling when, nearly two years ago, he toured several garbage-laden dump sites in the area with elected officials, local and state, and bureaucrats. A feeling of disgust was shared among the tour group by what was observed — thousands of tires, household and construction waste tossed liberally into the woods. But from that disgust grew a plan to clean out the refuse, prosecute the offenders and educate the public to the merits of keeping a clean environment.

Out of this came COALS, which targeted dump sites only in eastern Northumberland and Columbia counties. The initiative caught on and ensuing cleanups were scheduled in Schuylkill, Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. Next year, COALS will be introduced in Berks, Carbon and Dauphin counties.

DEP officials stated it had more than $250,000 allocated for cleanups. It received an additional $50,000 from Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services, $10,000 from the Earth Conservancy, serving the Wyoming Valley, and another $10,000 in in-kind services from Natural Soil Products Co. of Tremont.

Steve Bartos is the COALS project manager for DEP. Northumberland and Columbia counties were the blueprint for COALS, he said, and credited Kaleta for bringing the problem into the limelight. While the program wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of his colleagues, along with McGinty’s support and leadership, he said it’s the program’s partners (private enterprise and nonprofit organizations alike) and volunteers who make COALS work.

“A new environmental awakening is happening and, in all places, the middle of Pennsylvania’s coal region,” he said.

Not going it alone

Kaleta was one of at least three dozen people who attended the summit, an audience that included state officials and employees, representatives of nonprofit organizations, school districts and coal companies, alike. Of the five speakers actively involved in battling litter bugs, all shared Kaleta’s passion.

Julia Murano, executive director of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, spoke about her organization’s efforts and its affiliation with the national Keep America Beautiful. DEP had many representatives on hand, including Tony Martinelli of the department’s Bureau of Investigation (BOI).

Both Martinelli and Bartos spoke of BOI’s latest plan to canvas area coal lands. Four men recently spent two days in Conyngham Township, Columbia County, and Zerbe Township, Northumberland County. They rummaged through trash and located 29 names, all of whom can expect two citations each within the next month.

BOI also uses digital cameras to record and monitor specific sites, rotating among the many garbage piles. The recordings are then used to track down any dumpers.

“No Dumping” signs, between 100 and 200, are to be printed and posted this year on COALS sites. It notifies persons that the site is under surveillance and that conviction is punishable by up to a $25,000 fine. A phone number, 1-800-548-8372, will be included to report any illegal dumping activity.

Shannon Reiter of PA CleanWays spoke about using illegal dump surveys as a tool to locate and calculate.

She estimated there are between 30 and 300 illegal dump sites in each of the commonwealth’s 67 counties. Of 1,018 surveyed, 50 percent were in or near waterways — presenting a hazard to the natural resource and potential health risks to both animals and humans.

Garbage dumped on coal lands can lead to mine fires, as evidenced by the Centralia saga, she said. Tires, too, are problematic. They collect water that can stagnate and attract mosquitoes which could spread disease, like West Nile virus.

It costs $600 a ton to clean up other peoples’ garbage dumped illegally, she said, and added Philadelphia alone spends $7 million annually because of it.

Illegal dumps are often the site of other illegal behavior, she said, like mounting evidence of methamphetamine labs located at these garbage piles. “Trash attracts trash,” Reiter said.

PA CleanWays, established in 1990, has cleaned up more than 600 sites, has programs in 57 counties and chapters or affiliates in 22 counties. Nearly 30,000 people have volunteered with the group. It has disposed or recycled 300,000 tires and 1,300 ton of scrap metal.

The nonprofit group hires surveyors throughout the state to pinpoint and describe illegal dumps. Its goal is to complete a statewide comprehensive survey within the next five to seven years. More information can be found at www.pacleanways.org.

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