With the U.S. celebrating its 250th birthday in 2026, Keep America Beautiful has launched the Greatest American Cleanup—a campaign to remove 25 billion pieces of litter from the national landscape to create a cleaner, greener and more beautiful America. This historic effort comes as a survey has revealed that most Americans believe that litter is a problem in their state.
According to a Keep America Beautiful study released in 2021, 90% of Americans believe litter is a problem in their state.
A new survey conducted by The Harris Poll among more than 2,000 adults at least 18 years old showed that 87% of Americans are interested in beautifying their communities, including improving recycling efforts, participating in community cleanups and creating more green spaces. A majority believe that people coming together to pick up litter can lead to healthier, stronger, “more neighborly” communities.
Over the next two years, more than 25,000 communities across the nation will be invited to make a new “declaration” to clean, green and beautify their neighborhoods and public spaces. In addition to picking up litter from parks, public spaces, roadsides and waterways, activities will include planting trees and flowers, cleaning nature trails and recreation areas, painting community murals and supporting local beautification and recycling efforts.
“As we come together to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, we all have a role to play in making our country look its very best,” said Jennifer Lawson, Keep America Beautiful president and CEO. “We’re inviting all Americans to join us as we pay tribute to the proud legacy and can-do spirit of this beautiful place we call home.”
“Building a cleaner, greener America where everyone enjoys the benefits of living in a safe, healthy and beautiful community has been at the heart of our work for more than 70 years,” Lawson said. “We’re excited for the opportunity to demonstrate the spirit of the Keep America Beautiful movement and the power of doing beautiful things.”
Visit kab.org/greatest to learn more and declare your support for the Greatest American Cleanup.