Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful, located in Georgia, created a cost-effective and easy-to-implement method to create mural-inspired trash cans that decrease littering. The project was sparked by a local high schooler, Abbie Burt, who had an idea to tackle litter and create beautiful and colorful art throughout the community.

Using litter surveys, vinyl banners, and graphic design, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful created unique pieces of art affixed to trashcans that were aesthetically pleasing and caught the attention of passers-by encouraging them to put trash in the right place instead of littering. The initiative called “Art CAN Inspire” took place in three different locations, Burr Park, Haig Mill Park, and the Mill at Crown Gardenseach. Each location featured its own theme for the trash cans.

The initiative is an ongoing partnership that needs minimal monthly work as the art only needs to be replaced with typical wear and tear. Additionally, as of March 2021, the locations had seen a 56.5% decrease in litter.

Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful received a 2020 Keep America Beautiful Innovation Award for this project.