Chester County Commissioners Josh Maxwell, Marian Moskowitz and Eric Roe recognized county resident Dave Shirey, and local non-profit, Recycling Services Inc. (RSI), at the Commissioners’ public meeting. The two are recipients of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful 2024 awards for their significant and positive impacts toward keeping local communities clean and beautiful.

Shirey received the program’s “Volunteer of the Year” Award, while RSI received the Community Partner award, both nominated through the county’s affiliate group, Keep Chester County Beautiful.

Shirey’s award notes that for the past eight years, he has organized a litter cleanup day that spans 80 locations in southern Chester County. During the event, Shirey manages over 100 volunteers, assigning groups to specific locations and detailing what help is needed plus what to do. Each year the event grows.

“He is a wonderful person who always stops what he is doing to come pick me up if I walk too far during a cleanup,” said Kelly McDowell, the previous Volunteer of the Year recipient. “He has never given up hope that individuals will step up to maintain the beauty of Chester County.”

RSI, located in North Coventry, volunteered to serve as the drop-off location for the county’s campaign sign recycling event that was held this past November. Over the two-week period, RSI allowed Keep Chester County Beautiful to use their site, provided volunteers, helped unload and sort all steel and plastic collected from four other collection sites, and arranged for the items to be recycled.

It is estimated that the collection resulted in over 600 pounds of plastic and well over four thousand pounds of steel that RSI took for recycling.

The County Commissioners presented citations to both awardees at the request of Keep Chester County Beautiful staff members Ryan Mawhinney and Carrie Conwell.

To find out more about the awards, visit www.keeppabeautiful.org/keep-pennsylvania-beautiful-announces-recipients-of-2024-affiliate-volunteers-community-partners-and-stewards-for-tomorrow-awards/. 

For more information about Keep Chester County Beautiful, visit www.chescoplanning.org/Environmental/KCCB/  and follow along on Facebook and Instagram - @keepchestercountybeautiful.