Keep America Beautiful Marks Earth Day with Final Push for Greatest American Cleanup for America’s 250th Birthday
Since 2024, campaign has mobilized communities nationwide to remove 16 million pounds of litter, clean 27,000 miles of streets, and improve 40,000 public spaces ahead of July 4
STAMFORD, Conn., April 22, 2026 — As Americans celebrate Earth Day 2026, Keep America Beautiful® is launching the final push for the Greatest American Cleanup with a new SMS campaign inviting people nationwide to take part ahead of America’s 250th birthday.
Individuals can join the effort by texting LITTER to 475-500-8569. Cleanup totals will be included in America Gives, the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission’s national volunteer service initiative marking America’s 250th anniversary, giving people across the nation a simple way to officially take part in the celebration through service to their communities.
“The Greatest American Cleanup is showing what can happen when people come together with purpose, pride, and a shared commitment to the places they call home,” said Jennifer Lawson, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “As we head toward July 4 and our nation’s 250th birthday, we invite everyone to join in the effort to help make America look its best for this historic occasion.”
The Greatest American Cleanup was launched in July 2024 to encourage Americans to improve their communities by picking up litter, planting trees, and restoring public spaces. Watch video here. Supported by Keep America Beautiful’s national affiliate network, volunteers, and partners, the campaign has mobilized communities and individuals to take action in towns and cities across the country.
Results of the Greatest American Cleanup to date include:
- 47,000 cleanup and beautification events
- 1.3 million participants engaged
- 391,000 volunteers mobilized
- 40,000 public spaces cleaned
- 16 million pounds of litter and debris collected
- 8.4 million pounds of recyclables collected
- 27,000 miles of streets cleaned and improved — enough to stretch from New York City to Sydney, Australia, and back
- 6,700 miles of waterways cleaned and improved
- 27,000 trees planted
- 77,000 tires collected
- Mayors in hundreds of cities pledging to take part in the Greatest American Cleanup.
Presenting sponsors of the Greatest American Cleanup include The Coca-Cola Company, Hilton, iHeartMedia, Niagara Cares, and Northrop Grumman. Joining the campaign this year are national partners Chesapeake Bay Fragrance, The J.M. Smucker Company, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation, Starbucks, Target, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
“Corporate partners and their employee volunteers have played a vital role in expanding the reach and impact of the Greatest American Cleanup,” said Abby Horrigan, Vice President of Development at Keep America Beautiful. “Their support has helped strengthen local events, engage volunteers, provide critical cleanup resources, advance community revitalization efforts, and raise awareness in communities across the country.”
About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their communities. Through its national network of affiliates, partners, and volunteers, Keep America Beautiful works to end littering, improve recycling, revitalize public spaces, and support resilience in communities across the country. Learn more at kab.org.
Contact: Leslie McClain at lmcclain@kab.org or 703-517-4550