In celebration of Earth Day 2022 and The Great American Cleanup national program, Keep California Beautiful (KCB) honored its state partners for their outstanding recycling and waste reduction initiatives.
Among them are the California Department of Transportation, the Department of Resources for Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), and the Department of Education.
KCB has partnered with various state agencies, universities, military bases, local governments and schools to improve the cleanliness and beauty of the state. Throughout the 2021-2022, these efforts resulted in more than $2 million in grants and in-kind services, while promoting technology to map litter hotspots and document volunteer and government actions, all to clean up California.
“We are fortunate to have received the support of Caltrans, CalRecycle and the Department of Education in events such as the Great American Cleanup and K-04 Environmental Schools, as well as other events throughout the year,” said Ray Scott, KCB Chairman of the Board. “The engagement between our corporate, government, educational and civic partners allows us to beautify and educate our communities and ultimately live in a cleaner California.”
KCB is a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of garbage and marine debris, alternative management waste management, beautification, community networking and outreach.
The organization functions as an umbrella that initiates and connects local affiliates in California communities. KCB’s mission is to advance the responsibility of individuals, state and local governments, the community, and businesses, through strategic initiatives and voluntary action, to preserve and protect California’s beautiful resources for generations to come.
Kenneth H. Johansson, manager of the Clean California initiative at the California Department of Transportation, said the campaign will provide tremendous opportunities for Caltrans to join forces with partners across the state to facilitate significant impact to keep Clean California Always.
“Clean California’s success will transcend the socioeconomic divide and improve the quality of life for all Californians,” said Johansson. “Caltrans is creating a space for everyone to be part of the solution and restore California to its unparalleled beauty.”
KCB also recognized Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton for winning its Award to the Recycling Hero 2021. As part of America’s Recycling Day (ARD), KCB and Keep America Beautiful chose Camp Pendleton for its outstanding contributions and environmental efforts in waste reduction, litter prevention, and community involvement.
While Camp Pendleton is the first military base in California to receive the Hero Award, in the future it will set the national standard for evaluating military base recycling programs for the ARD Hero Award and KCB’s Annual Military Appreciation Program.
Part of a National Movement
KCB is part of The Great American Cleanup, a community movement that unites and beautifies communities across the country in one movement spring cleaning.
Celebrating its 24th year, The Great American Cleanup most recently created 15,000 opportunities for millions of volunteers to achieve extraordinary results: picked up millions of pounds of trash, cleaned up more than 100, acres of public spaces and tens of thousands of miles of highways and shorelines.
This year, Keep America Beautiful is celebrating the year 24 from The Great American Cleanup at 2022, between 21 March and 22 of June. As the country continues to grapple with the pandemic, it’s as important as ever to help put an end to litter.
The group ensures that waste, including personal protective equipment (PPE), be disposed of in the trash and/or recycled.
To learn more about the work of Keep California Beautiful visit: https://keepcabeautiful. org/