End littering
From roadsides to shorelines, our volunteers clear the way for cleaner streets, brighter parks and healthier wildlife.
Keep America Beautiful brings together local affiliates, corporate partners and individuals to do beautiful things that lead to healthier neighborhoods and meaningful community improvements.
2026 National Litter Study
Litter is down 34% across America
Litter along America’s roadways and waterways has fallen 34% since 2020, and every American’s share dropped from 152 pieces to 96. That progress is real — and it is not the whole story. Thirty-five billion pieces remain, and coastal areas, measured nationally for the first time, carry 8 to 13 times more litter per mile than inland.
Our impact
The movement, measured
69.7M
Pounds collected
Litter, debris & recycling
146,647
Acres cleaned
Of litter, nationwide
59,874
Road miles
Streets & highways beautified
7,461
Waterway miles
Rivers, lakes & shores cleaned
31,899
Trees planted
Restoring communities
400K+
Volunteers
Give their time each year
Source: Keep America Beautiful national volunteer reporting (kab.org)
Clean. Green. Beautiful.
Improve recycling
We help Americans recycle right — keeping valuable materials out of landfills and giving them a second life.
Beautify communities
Tree plantings, pollinator gardens, and public-space restoration make neighborhoods greener and more vibrant.
How the movement takes action
Clean-up
Great American Cleanup®
Our keystone program mobilizes hundreds of thousands of volunteers each spring to clean, green, and beautify their communities.
Recycling
America Recycles Day®
The nation's premier recycling-awareness day — inspiring Americans to recycle more, and recycle right.
Community
Affiliate Network
700+ community-based affiliates carry our mission into towns and cities across all 50 states.
What’s happening now
Litter
National Secure Your Load Day on June 6 Marks 10 Years of Raising Awareness About Preventable Roadway Hazards
Keep America Beautiful Presents 2025 National Awards at Largest Summit in Organization’s History
Do Beautiful Things · The podcast
“Litter steals our shine.”
Billy Nungesser
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
Host Jenny Lawson, our president and CEO, sits down with Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser on why litter matters, what he loves about his state, and how Love the Boot Week gets people showing up for it.
School education programs, reporting a litterer, business partnerships — a whole state deciding its shine was worth keeping.
Since 1953
Affiliates are the backbone of our work
Our network of 700+ community-based affiliates engages volunteers and drives local action — unlocking the potential in every community.
Using the field-tested Keep America Beautiful Model for Change, affiliates deliver locally-focused programs that create meaningful, lasting change.
Stay in touch
Get connected. Stay inspired.
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