Jack Sedlak Memorial Clean Up Day still a success despite smaller turnout

The 25th Annual Jack Sedlak Memorial Clean Up Day in Monroeville saw fewer volunteers and less trash than previous years.

Manager Tim Little said the Aug. 29 event brought 230 volunteers who picked up more than 300 bags of litter, along with 10 tires.

The volunteers, separated into groups, spread out across 20 streets including William Penn Highway, Old William Penn Highway, Monroeville Boulevard, Garden City Drive, Northern Pike, Alpine Village Drive, Saunders Station and others, Little said. The volunteers also picked up litter in 10 parks.

“There seemed to be less litter, most likely due to the pandemic and less people out and about during the past six months,” Little said.

Gateway school board member and Rotary Club of Monroeville volunteer Susan Delaney said she, along with six others, picked up trash along Mosside Boulevard, from Business Route 22 to Northern Pike.

“The number of cigarette butts scattered along the way is unbelievable,” Delaney said. “Also unfortunate is the amount of litter and trash accumulated along the side of UPMC East.”

Nevertheless, Delaney said it was a “tremendously successful event.”

The annual event, named after Jack Sedlak, a former Monroeville councilman who envisioned a cleaner community, typically happens in April or May. This year, however, the event was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sedlak died of cancer in 1995.

Last year’s event drew 511 volunteers, who collected 587 bags of litter, 36 tires and seven televisions.

In previous years, the litter cleanup concluded with a picnic in Monroeville Community Park West. This year, although the picnic was canceled, each volunteer received a T-shirt and an entry for a prize raffle. The raffle drawing was expected to be broadcast Tuesday on the Monroeville Recreation and Parks, Monroeville, PA page on Facebook.