About The Great American Cleanup

WHAT is the Great American Cleanup?

  • The Great American Cleanup (GAC) is an annual nationwide litter cleanup program initiated by Keep America Beautiful (KAB). As a KAB affiliate, Keep the Midlands Beautiful (KMB) promotes and participates in the Great American Cleanup.

WHEN is it?

  • The GAC begins on the first day of spring (mid-March) and ends on the first day of summer (mid-June).

HOW Can You Help?

  • Sign up for our events.
    • Join members of the community and our staff as we remove litter from areas in need of attention. Sign up to participate now on our Upcoming Events page.
  • Remove litter on your own.
    • Have your own group or prefer to remove litter alone? No problem!
    • Select any public littered area in Lexington or Richland County or select an area on this Litter Hot Spots list.
    • Request to borrow our free supplies (litter grabbers, safety vests, cloth gloves, bags, and safety signs) using this Supply Request Form at least one week before you need them. They will be placed on our office porch at 1305 Augusta Rd., West Columbia for your to pick up at your convenience.
    • Dispose of the litter you collect.
      • Volunteers participating in our ‘One-Time Cleanup’ program are responsible for properly disposing of the litter collected.
        • See options on the Richland County Website or call the Ombudsman’s Office at 803-929-6000 to ask if they can pick up your bags.
        • See options on the Lexington County Website.
        • Some groups choose to take bags home to their curbside bins. We can provide tarps if needed.
        • Some groups ask nearby businesses for permission to use their dumpsters.
    • Return supplies to our porch within one week of your cleanup.
    • Complete our short Report Card to let us know how many people participated, how long you spent removing litter, and how many bags you collected. This is our only requirement in return for use of the free supplies. It helps to ensure that we continue to receive funding for the supplies.

NOTE: We provide free supplies throughout the year for other volunteer-initiated one-time cleanups.

Safety Tips

  • For information about how to stay safe while removing litter, click here. Please review these with all volunteers prior to each litter cleanup.