BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Community-led research is exactly what it sounds like, Kate Jackson said.
“By being involved in the community, the research comes out of those relationships,” said Jackson, an assistant professor of environmental health, justice and policy at Lehigh University. “ … I heard the request to know more about where trash is accumulating and why, and what are the other case studies that are happening in similar cities.
"That would all be really helpful research for us in working together to create an even more beautiful community.”
With a research question in hand, Jackson, along with a team of students and community stakeholders, has launched a new initiative to study not only where litter builds up and trash is illegally dumped across the city’s Southside, but also why it got there in the first place.
By working directly with residents to collect data and create an online map showing littler hotspots, officials said “Community Mapping for Environmental Justice” is a collaborative effort to improve the health and well-being of the entire community.
“Part of the mission of the College of Health in particular is to improve the local health outcomes of the Lehigh Valley, but specifically in Bethlehem,” said Jackson.
“There's this issue that people are talking about that's affecting mental health, perhaps even physical health, relationships, feelings of belonging, feelings of safety.
“How do we work together with folks who are experiencing that, who have the knowledge of those issues and also the ideas for solutions, who know the history, who know how things work, the politics of what actually works on the ground?”Kate Jackson, an assistant professor of environmental health, justice and policy at Lehigh University
“How do we work together with folks who are experiencing that, who have the knowledge of those issues and also the ideas for solutions, who know the history, who know how things work, the politics of what actually works on the ground?” Jackson said.
‘We needed data’
Officials know that the Southside is a hotspot for litter because it's the most densely populated neighborhood in Northampton County, said Anna Smith, director of Community Action Development Bethlehem.
“Discussions started with folks in the city government about what could be done, and it was clear that to make an effective argument for any changes in policy that we needed data.
“And we needed to really understand how trash impacts folks’ lives, and how folks in our different neighborhoods throughout the city envision a solution that could work for their particular environment.
"Is there a one-size-fits-all solution? Maybe. Or, are there things that need to be adjusted and adapted to particular neighborhoods to ensure that if we do implement a policy solution that it addresses the needs of the residents, and particularly the needs and the residents of the communities that are most affected by the trash issue.”Anna Smith, director of Community Action Development Bethlehem
“Our neighborhoods are very different throughout the city. And so, is there a one-size-fits-all solution? Maybe. Or, are there things that need to be adjusted and adapted to particular neighborhoods to ensure that if we do implement a policy solution that it addresses the needs of the residents, and particularly the needs and the residents of the communities that are most affected by the trash issue<” Smith said.
While the effort started in a research-based class last spring to capture the data Smith and other city officials and environmental advocates were looking for, it grew into a Mountaintop Fellowship for two students: Shelby Carr, a Ph.D. candidate majoring in English, and Amy Zimmerman, who is studying psychology and health.
The summer program includes “interdisciplinary deep dives where faculty, students, and external partners come together and take new intellectual, creative, and/or artistic pathways that lead to transformative new innovations, new expressions and new questions,” according to Lehigh’s website. Undergraduate participants get a $5,000 stipend, while graduate students get $6,000.
Between 50 and 60 Southside residents have so far been interviewed as part of the project, Carr said. By the time it’s completed, officials hope to have close to 100.
“The interviews, as of right now, are helping inform the map that we have of either illegal dumping or pollution hotspots in the city,” Carr said. “They're also going to help inform the report that we deliver to our community partners.”
Carr and Zimmerman will review the interviews, looking for any patterns or recurring themes.
“From there, we can continue to inform the report that will be going back to the community,” Zimmerman said. “We were talking about potentially doing focus groups as well, but otherwise just informing the map, seeing where there are gaps in knowledge within the community.”
Interviews have been gathered through word-of-mouth, and many of the respondents have been residents who are interested in litter build-up – a bias researchers are working to quell.
“We are mindful that we need to talk to a broader group of people,” Jackson said. “We'd love to talk to folks who maybe are really happy about the way that their neighborhood looks and feels and perhaps they have ideas and solutions.”
They’ve also collected feedback from renters and homeowners, as well as both established city residents and newcomers.
“It's good to have that,” Carr said. “It's good to see how they differ in the way that they think about the city and trash in the city.”
‘Not knowing how the trash gets there’
Litter is not a problem unique to the Southside, the city or even the Lehigh Valley – it’s a commonwealth-wide issue.
There are more than 500 million pieces of litter on Pennsylvania's roads, according to the state’s latest litter research study, published in January 2020. Cigarette butts and plastic make up the bulk of the trash, 37% and 30%, respectively. The report found that motorists and pedestrians are the leading litter contributors.
Parallel to the state’s study, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, a volunteer-based organization that works on mitigating litter, released a report documenting nine Pennsylvania cities and the cost of illegal dumping and litter.
The only Valley city to participate was Allentown, and the results were eye-opening.
The city spends $4.5 million each year on litter prevention, education and outreach, abatement and enforcement, according to “The Cost of Litter & Illegal Dumping in Pennsylvania.” The bulk of the money, about $2.5 million, is spent on abatement.
Of the nine cities featured in the report, Allentown ranks only behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in total costs.
However, the Valley is unique in its response to litter. Over several years, the region has seen an influx of litter vigilantes – residents who have taken it upon themselves to clean up not only their neighborhoods, but other’s, too.
One of those vigilantes, Kathy Frederick, founder of LV Clean Up, visited Jackson’s class last spring to speak with students about the issues she faces picking up trash in the Southside.
“There are certain areas that are prone to get re-trashed faster than others,” Frederick said. “And there’s the struggle with not knowing how the trash gets there.
“Is it because the trash haulers don't pick up well enough? Is it people dumping or throwing it out their car windows? Is it because some people don't use bins that have lids on them and then birds, cats or other animals come and pull stuff out and then it's a mess and nobody picks it up?”
With answers to those questions, and hard data to back it up, officials can then focus on the most effective next steps by targeting the source of the trash.
“What I really admire about what they're doing is that it's data and research results that can be used to inform decisions hyper-locally,” Frederick said. “The work they're doing is both helpful for greater purpose research that can be used by other communities to help them, but it's also hopefully going to get behind local policy and bring good change to the local community.
“I think that's very rewarding work to be involved with and it's great to see Lehigh involved in that way.”
