STAMFORD, Conn., March 20, 2019 — It’s the first day of spring, which means it’s time to kick off the annual Keep America Beautiful® Great American Cleanup®, the nation’s largest community improvement program. Through this far-reaching effort, which takes place from March 20 through June 20, national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful and its network of more than 600 community-based affiliates and partner organizations host cleanups, green-ups and fix-ups in more than 20,000 communities across the country, engaging more than 1.5 million volunteers and participants.
Keep America Beautiful, with the support of its affiliates and their volunteers, social and civic service organizations, municipalities and government officials, and Great American Cleanup national sponsors will surpass many of the achievements of last year’s 20th anniversary Great American Cleanup, including 68 million pounds of recyclables collected; 24.7 million pounds of litter collected; 9.4 million volunteer hours logged; more than 55,400 miles of roads, shorelines and waterways improved and beautified; and nearly 21,300 public spaces cleaned.
This year’s Great American Cleanup features the launch of the new Common Ground Campaign. Local, state and national elected officials are being invited to Great American Cleanup events to demonstrate that the cleanliness of our communities is on Common Ground.
“No matter where one falls on the political spectrum, all Americans hope to live in healthy and beautiful communities,” said Helen Lowman, president and CEO, Keep America Beautiful. “Creating clean, green and beautiful communities is non-partisan. By volunteering for the Great American Cleanup, you can help Keep America Beautiful transform our public spaces into beautiful places – something we can all believe in.”
While many Keep America Beautiful affiliates in warmer regions have already started their Great American Cleanup programs, many are scheduled to take place throughout spring. Local hands-on volunteer events and education programs will renew public parks, trails and recreation areas; clean, enhance and protect shorelines, beaches and waterways; remove litter and debris from roadways, storm drains and public spaces; reduce waste and improve recycling; and plant trees, flowers and community gardens.