Why Pittsburgh's So Trashy
15 September 2025

Why Pittsburgh's So Trashy

City Cast Pittsburgh

About
Pittsburgh's getting all glammed up before the NFL Draft next year. But shiny renovation projects (like a new-and-improved Market Square) can only go so far if our hillsides are covered in trash. The city, county and a bunch of local groups just launched a big cleanup campaign called "Immaculate Collection" to redd up our region before company comes over. But why does our city get so dirty in the first place, and what can we do about it? We're revisiting our conversation with Caily Grube, executive director of Allegheny CleanWays, about tackling Pittsburgh's trash problem.

Allegheny CleanWays is one of the partners behind Immaculate Collection. Learn more about the campaign and their cleanup events here.

**This episode originally aired on June 23, 2025.

Learn more about the sponsors of this September 15th episode:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Heinz History Center

Fist Ascent

City Theatre

The Frick

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 


Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter.

We’re on Instagram @CityCastPgh.

Text or leave us a voicemail at 412-212-8893.