Key Milestones in Our History

On October 15, 1953, representatives from civic organizations, conservation groups, government agencies, and industry met at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City to discuss how to tackle the growing problem of litter along America’s highways and roadsides 

The meeting organized what became known as the Keep Our Roadsides Clean Council, bringing together groups such as the Izaak Walton League of America, the National Council of State Garden Clubs, the Boy Scouts of America, the American Automobile Association, state highway departments, and representatives from the packaging and beverage industries. 

Those gathered recognized the negative impact that litter was having on communities and public landscapes—and that solving it would require cooperation across sectors. Within a year, that collaboration evolved into Keep America Beautiful, a national nonprofit dedicated to litter prevention and community improvement. 

1950s–1970s 

1956 – The first national Keep America Beautiful public service announcement (PSA) promoting litter prevention airs. 

1963 – Keep America Beautiful is formally incorporated as a national nonprofit organization dedicated to litter prevention and community improvement. 

1965 – First Lady Claudia ‘Lady Bird’ Johnson partners with Keep America Beautiful to promote highway beautification and stewardship of America’s landscapes. 

1967 – Television star Lassie appears as the mascot of a national anti-litter campaign. 

1968 – Keep America Beautiful conducts the first National Litter Study, providing baseline data on litter in the United States. 

1969 – Keep America Beautiful expands its national anti-litter advertising campaign across television, radio, and print. 

1970 – Keep America Beautiful participates in activities surrounding the first Earth Day. 

1971 – In partnership with the Ad Council, Keep America Beautiful launches the ‘Crying Indian’ public service announcement. 

1973 – Keep America Beautiful releases research examining why people litter and the primary sources of litter. 

1976 – Keep America Beautiful introduces the Clean Community System, establishing a framework for local community programs. 

1978 – Georgia Clean & Beautiful becomes the first statewide Keep America Beautiful program. 

1979 – Keep America Beautiful introduces Waste in Place, an environmental education curriculum used in classrooms nationwide. 

1980s–1990s 

1981 – Keep America Beautiful establishes community certification standards for recognizing official affiliates. 

1984 – The first Public Lands Day mobilizes volunteers nationwide to support cleanup and improvement projects on public lands. 

1985 – Keep America Beautiful and GLAD launch the GLAD Bag-a-Thon volunteer cleanup program. 

1988 – Keep America Beautiful establishes a Solid Waste Committee to address emerging waste management and recycling issues. 

1989 – The Keep America Beautiful affiliate network reaches 300 local programs. 

1994 – Keep America Beautiful expands its mission to include community improvement, waste reduction, recycling, and beautification. 

Expanding the Mission 

In 1994, Keep America Beautiful formally expanded its mission while continuing its work in litter prevention. Programs increasingly focused on community improvement, recycling education, waste reduction, beautification, and volunteer engagement. 

1999 – Keep America Beautiful and the U.S. Conference of Mayors host the Urban Litter Partnership National Summit. 

1999 – The Great American Cleanup launches and becomes the nation’s largest community improvement program. 

2000–2010 

2002 – Research on cigarette litter leads to the launch of the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program. 

2010 – Keep America Beautiful becomes the national steward of America Recycles Day and assumes leadership of RecycleMania. 

2011–2020 

2013 – The Ad Council and Keep America Beautiful launch the “I Want to Be Recycled” national campaign. 

2020 – Keep America Beautiful publishes the largest ever national study on litter in America. 

2021–Present 

2021 – RETREET®, a nonprofit focused on post-disaster tree replanting, merges with Keep America Beautiful. 

2022 – Keep America Beautiful and Anheuser-Busch launch the Recycling Hawkers program in baseball stadiums. 

2024 – Keep America Beautiful launches the Greatest American Cleanup for America’s 250th Birthday. 

2025 – Keep America Beautiful rings the Nasdaq Opening Bell. 

2025 – Keep America Beautiful launches Youth Action Central to support youth environmental leadership. 

2026 – The Keep America Beautiful network reaches a record 731 affiliates across the United States. 

2026 – Keep America Beautiful prepares to announce results of 2026 National Litter Study.