Stamford, CT, April 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — From the Colorado mountains to the reefs off the Florida coast, cleanup and beautification events are taking place across the country as part of the Greatest American Cleanup™️, Keep America Beautiful’s national effort to pick up 25 billion pieces of litter and engage 25,000 communities ahead of America’s 250th birthday on July 4, 2026.
More than 150 communities in 27 states have pledged their support for the Greatest American Cleanup. In Colorado, Governor Jared Polis officially proclaimed April 12 to 19, 2025 as Keep America Beautiful Week.
Meanwhile, Keep America Beautiful affiliates have organized hundreds of events across the country, with tens of thousands of volunteers working to clean and beautify their neighborhoods, parks, shorelines, and streets.
Instagram influencers across the country are joining the #Greatest25 Litter Challenge, pledging to pick up 25 pieces of litter by Earth Day. From environmentalists and pageant queens to travel bloggers, they’re all doing their part. TraashyBoy is on a mission to collect 1 million pieces, while the Wild Bandits, —an adventurous couple living and traveling in a converted school bus—are taking the challenge on the road, cleaning up parks, beaches, and trails as they go and leaving every stop better than they found it.
Cleanup efforts are reaching underwater ecosystems as well. On April 25, Reel It In for the Reefs is deploying boats and divers from Stuart to Miami, Florida, to remove plastic pollution and abandoned fishing gear that can harm wildlife, including sea turtles who mistake trash for food or get caught in discarded lines. These efforts were featured in the latest podcast episode of Keep America Beautiful’s “Do Beautiful Things.”
These efforts come as a recent The Harris Poll finds that 72% of Americans say they are interested in finding ways to engage more with their communities, such as beautifying a local park. “We’re inspired by the surge of community pride and action happening all across the country—in big cities, small towns, and everywhere in between,” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Jennifer Lawson. “People want to make a difference, and it’s exciting to see so many stepping up and taking part in the Greatest American Cleanup.”
Corporate support for the Greatest American Cleanup continues to grow. The Coca-Cola Company is funding grants that will support “cleanup, green-up” projects in 30 U.S. communities. And later this month, grants will be awarded for improvement projects along Martin Luther King (MLK) Corridors, thanks to Target and Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation.
Other Greatest American Cleanup sponsors include Hilton, iHeart Media, and Niagara Cares. Companies such as Altria and Starbucks Coffee Company are encouraging their employees to sign the pledge to support the campaign and are mobilizing their teams for cleanup and beautification activities in communities across the country.
“We’re deeply grateful to our corporate partners and funders whose support helps to power the Greatest American Cleanup,” Lawson said. “Their commitment makes it possible for communities across the country to take action—cleaning up neighborhoods, restoring public spaces, and inspiring a nationwide movement of care and connection.”
About Keep America Beautiful Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to end littering, improve recycling, and beautify America’s public spaces through its powerful network of 700+ community-based affiliates and millions of volunteers. Learn more at www.kab.org.
