Public Lands United Cleanup

PLUC’s founder, Dylan Gilbert, developed a love for the outdoors at a young age. Growing up, he spent his weekends racing motocross with his father in the California desert. After each race, Dylan and his father would pick up trash until nightfall. 

In May of 2019, Dylan embarked on a month-long road trip across the western United States. He planned to start a job as a motorcycle mechanic for Ducati after his trip, but his plans changed about two weeks and two states into his travels. Dylan noticed a common theme in the beautiful places he visited: trash. It was everywhere, on the sides of roads, on trails, and even deep in forests. The National Park Foundation estimates that 260 million tons of trash are generated in national parks each year. A staggering amount of that waste is not disposed of properly. 

 After witnessing the impact of human waste on the natural world on his road trip, Dylan decided to dedicate his life to restoring the environment by removing waste from public lands. Dylan’s mission resonated with others. Through fundraising and brand partnerships, he funded his life on the road and spent his time cleaning public lands. In his first year, Dylan covered 35,000 miles, 11 states, and 18 national parks. He removed over 12,000 pounds of trash. 

Dylan met others who were inspired by his large trash hauls and developed a following on social media. He utilized his platform to spread awareness about environmental issues, particularly the amount of waste in public lands. Dylan shared photos of the many pounds of trash he collected so that the issue would no longer be “out of sight, out of mind”. In 2019, Dylan decided to create a non-profit public-benefit organization to legitimize and upscale his operation. 

Public Lands United Cleanup (PLUC) aims to educate individuals on the importance of sustainability and take actionable steps to restore natural landscapes. PLUC provides a critical service because no government entities are currently responsible for waste removal from national parks. PLUC’s approach to environmental conservation highlights the impact that one individual can have and how that impact can grow with community support.

PLUC has exciting plans. Dylan and PLUC will continue to travel all over the US doing daily cleanups. Down the road, after the first clean-up route has been established, PLUC will create additional routes across the country. PLUC’s long term goal is to have numerous teams running clean-up and educational routes across the United States and eventually internationally. 

PLUC’s work is made possible by community support. Currently, funds donated to PLUC will be allocated to: travel expenses, PLUC vehicles for team members, vehicle maintenance, vehicle modifications, unexpected vehicle failure, fuel costs, insurance, camp sites, clothing, food, medical expenses, trash removal expenses (dump fees), parking fees, clean ups supplies (gloves, bags,), fundraising, promotional materials, wages for employees, and start-up costs. 

TO LEARN MORE VISIT https://pluc.us/about/