A Keep Berkeley Beautiful group gathered on a cleared street corner after a cleanup, holding collection bags and grabbers together for a group photograph.

2026 National Litter Study

Litter is down across America

Since 2020, litter along America's roadways and waterways has fallen by more than a third. 35 billion pieces remain — and the study shows precisely where the next gains are, and where they are being lost.

What changed

Measured against 2020

34%

Overall decline

Roadways and waterways combined

45%

Waterway litter

Down more than twice as far as roadways

22%

Roadway litter

Down, but the slower half

62%

Cigarette butts

Outpacing the drop in smoking

96

Pieces per person

Down from 152 in 2020

35B

Pieces remaining

Progress, not mission accomplished

Source: Keep America Beautiful 2026 National Litter Study (kab.org/litter/litter-study/)

Keep America Beautiful 2026 National Litter Study America Making Progress on Litter

Litter is down 34%, but 35 billion pieces still remain in our parks, waterways, and public spaces. And coastal litter is raising new concerns. Download the 2026 National Litter Study

A photo with torn white borders showing a discarded tyre half-buried in the stones at the edge of a shallow stream, with reeds and grass on the far bank; the foreground is heavily blurred.

The 2026 Keep America Beautiful National Litter Study provides the most comprehensive picture to date of litter in the United States, and how it is changing over time.

By building on data collected in 2020, the Study offers a rare longitudinal view of trends in litter quantity, composition, and sources across the country. For the first time, the Study also includes a national estimate of litter along U.S. coastal areas, expanding our understanding of litter’s environmental impact.

Pieces Per Mile

For the first time, the Study includes a national estimate of litter along coastal areas, revealing significantly higher concentrations of litter in some of America’s most environmentally sensitive spaces.

16,800

Coastal Areas

2,200

Roadways

1,300

Waterways

The Good News

From 2020 to 2025, litter along America’s roadways and surface waterways declined by

34%

Volunteers in olive shirts and caps pick litter from seaweed-strewn sand at the tide line, a fishing pier in the distance

Two people in life jackets and waders stand on a rocky riverbank hauling an enormous muddy tractor tyre upright between them; a small boat with an outboard motor is pulled up behind on the brown water.

The Challenge Ahead

While litter is down, but the problem is far from solved. There are still

35 billion pieces of litter

across America’s roadways, waterways, and coastal areas.

Download the Litter Study

Hover to See the Impact!

Tap to See the Impact!

Real progress is happening. Compare 2025 findings with 2020 data to see how litter levels have changed across America’s roadways, waterways, and public spaces.

Litter Per Capita

along roadways and waterways

96

2025

152

2020

pieces per person

Roadway Litter

in America is down

2,204

2025

2,857

2020

items per mile

A 22% reduction!

Surface Waterways Litter

decreased in our rivers, streams, and lakes

1,300

2025

2,411

2020

items per mile

A 45% reduction!

Yes, We’re Making Progress.

But America still has a big litter problem. Download the Study to see what’s working, where the biggest gaps remain, and how your community can take action.

A crushed silver and blue drinks can lying on its side in a shallow puddle on coarse asphalt, mirrored in the water. The horizon behind glows orange and gold at sunset above a distant treeline.

Americans Don’t Like Litter.

Across geography, age, and political affiliation, Americans overwhelmingly agree that litter is a problem in the U.S. and that we all have a role to play in creating cleaner communities.

94

Of Americans say litter is a problem.

90

Say reducing litter is a personal responsibility.

76

Say litter is a problem in their own community.

What Americans think

Nobody is arguing about this

Across geography, age and political affiliation, agreement on litter is close to unanimous — which is rare enough to be worth acting on.

94%

Say litter is a problem

Nationally

90%

Call it personal responsibility

Their own, not someone else's

31%

Recall prevention messaging

The gap worth closing

Source: Keep America Beautiful 2026 National Litter Study (kab.org)

Litter Trends

Litter tells us a lot about how we live today — what we use, what we throw away, and where better solutions are needed.

Flat statistics graphic on a grey panel: six green downward arrows paired with the labels plastic 24%, glass 34%, organics 77%, paper 45%, metal 30% and cigarette butts 62%.

Litter Is Down Across Most Categories

The decline in cigarette butt litter outpaced the decrease in smoking.

Statistic graphic on grey: red up arrows beside "36%" for "Litter from tires, tire treads, and vehicle debris" and "50%" for "Cardboard litter"

New Areas of Concern

Some types of litter increased, reflecting changing consumer habits.

Download the 2026 Litter Study

Just fill out the form to get your PDF copy of the Litter Study.

New this year

The coastline is the outlier

Coastal litter was estimated nationally for the first time in 2026, and it changes the picture. Coastal zones carry 8 to 13 times more litter per mile than inland roadways and waterways.

The categories are shifting too, and they track how people actually live. Cardboard litter is up 50% as online shopping reshapes household habits. Plastic water bottle litter rose 20%. PPE litter — the masks and gloves that surged during the pandemic — has fallen 76%.