From Highways to Coastlines: New Research Uncovers the True Scope of Litter in America
June 15, 2026 · McCall Vrydaghs
Beautify communities
A place people are proud of stays cleaner
Beautification is not decoration. A cared-for street gets less litter, a planted lot gets less dumping, and a mural gets left alone — the maintenance problem shrinks when the place looks looked-after.
Beautify Communities
Everyone in America deserves to live in a beautiful community
At Keep America Beautiful, we believe each of us deserves to live in a beautiful home. In order for that to become a reality, we all need to come together to create and maintain it.
Keep America Beautiful works across community, government, and business sectors to create beautiful spaces and places for all of us to share. We’re pleased to be able to provide these free resources for individual, community, and partner use.
Take Action Now
How to Plan a Community Beautification Project
Graffiti Prevention: Creating A Community Mural
Anti-graffiti resources:
Educational resource: Get a clue about Graffiti Educational resource: Teacher’s Guide
Educational resource: How to Establish a Graffiti Task Force Educational resource: Graffiti Prevention: Tips for Homeowners Educational resource: Graffiti Prevention: Tips for Businesses Educational resource: Lights, Landscape, Access
Affiliates in Action
Here are just a few examples of beautification projects from our hard-working affiliates:
Counting 35 Billion Pieces of Litter: Digging into the Keep America Beautiful 2026 National Litter Study
May 15, 2026 · McCall Vrydaghs
The Home Depot Foundation Funds Keep America Beautiful’s RETREET Program to Replant Trees After Disasters
April 24, 2026 · McCall Vrydaghs
Support for Beautification
Is your community seeking funding for a beautification project?
Check out our annual Community Grants information and apply!
learn about community grants
The movement, measured
One spring of planting
702,451
Plants and bulbs
Put in the ground
8,465
Trees planted
Rooted in communities
29,979
Acres improved
Parks, playgrounds and trails
Source: Keep America Beautiful — planting and green-space figures from the 2022 Great American Cleanup final results (kab.org)
Three ways in
Start with the patch you walk past
Beautification is the pillar with the lowest barrier to entry — no season, no permit, no equipment. Your affiliate will know what the neighborhood needs.
Beauty is our lasting signature, but we are not in this alone. Through the strength of the affiliate network, Keep America Beautiful works with millions of volunteers on beautification and greening programs, reaching more than 20,000 communities a year.
In the most recent program year volunteers logged over 2.94 million hours — planting more than 3.2 million plants, shrubs and trees, creating over 3,000 green spaces and gardens, and beautifying nearly 900 public spaces with murals and artwork.
Greening what is already there
Most beautification is not new construction. It is a neglected verge planted, a vacant lot cleared, a bed maintained through a second season — the unglamorous continuity that turns a one-day cleanup into a place that stays cared for.
Art in public space
In its most recent program year the network beautified nearly 900 public spaces with murals and artwork. A painted wall is not decoration in a place that has been overlooked; it is the most visible possible statement that somebody is paying attention.
Beautification
Together, We Keep America Beautiful
It’s in our name. It’s who we are.
Beauty is our lasting signature, but we are not in this alone. Through the strength of our affiliate network, Keep America Beautiful® works with millions of volunteers on beautification and greening programs, impacting more than 20,000 communities annually.
In our most recent program year, volunteers logged
over 2.94 Million hours
- Planting over 3.2 Million plants, shrubs, and trees
- Cleaning up and creating over 3,000 green spaces & gardens
- Beautifying nearly 900 public spaces with murals and artwork
Take Action Now
Affiliate Network
Individual Action Center
Partners for Change
Everyone in America deserves to live in a beautiful community
It’s very simple. We all deserve a beautiful home, and we all need to come together to create and maintain it.
Keep America Beautiful works across community, government, and business sectors to create beautiful spaces and places for all of us to share.
subscribe to our newsletterGrow Something Good: Native Plants for People and Pollinators
Grow Something Good: Native Plants for People and Pollinators
Explore the beauty and benefits of native plants for your garden. Discover low-maintenance options that help the environment.
Planting Seeds of Service: Lucinda Robb on Family Legacy, Civic Engagement, and the Beauty That Builds Community
Lucinda Robb—granddaughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson—shares how legacy, service, and small acts can spark lasting change.
Greening Your Space: From Balconies to BackyardsGreening Your Space: From Balconies to Backyards
Explore the power of gardening, whether you have a cozy balcony or a sprawling backyard. Learn how to bring greenery into your space.
Our Signature Programs
Through educational programs and our ongoing efforts including the Great American Cleanup®, Community Impact Grants, and our inspiring #DoBeautifulThings initiative, our beautification work leads to native species plantings, establishing sustainable community gardens, and tree plantings, vacant lot transformation, graffiti abatement, and more.
We believe that service is beautiful. When we work together, we make a more beautiful environment for us all.
Great American Cleanup® (GAC)
Our signature program, the Great American Cleanup®is a nationwide effort spanning 3 months each year. Hundreds of thousands of people come together to take part in local volunteer opportunities, educating, cleaning and beautifying.
Together, our work cleans, greens and beautifies thousands of communities – and counting. Find a cleanup near you!
Great American Cleanup
Community Impact Grants
As the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, Keep America Beautiful® is proud to offer our annual Community Impact Grant Program. This grant program supports communities and our nearly 700-member affiliate network in preventing littering, promoting recycling, and building clean, green, and beautiful neighborhoods.
The grants are designed to support our Affiliate network, other nonprofit organizations, and community groups in implementing programs or projects designed to build clean, green, and beautiful places for all to thrive and enjoy.
Keep America Beautiful is committed to fostering community diversity, unity, and environmental sustainability.
learn more about Community Impact Grants
Beautification Resources
Looking for additional information on how you can get started on a beautification project? Coming Soon
#DoBeautifulThings
People do beautiful things every day. We celebrate the beautiful work being done by our nearly 700 affiliates and the hundreds of thousands of dedicated volunteers who give their time and energy to serving their friends and neighbors. Learn more about the latest national award winners, and browse our gallery of amazing stories of beauty.
Learn More
Educational Programs
We are proud to offer educational resources for teaching our youth about litter prevention, recycling best practices, and how to create a beautiful place wherever they live. Learn more about our Educational Programs and free downloadable resources.
Coming Soon
YOUR DONATION IN ACTION
Your generosity allows us to expand our program offerings, fund community improvement projects from coast to coast, and provide the means needed to make meaningful and lasting impact in local communities across the U.S.
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