News : Keep Iowa Beautiful Announces Annual Pick-Up Iowa Program

Keep Iowa Beautiful is calling on Iowans to help achieve our statewide goal of 2,500 volunteers to clean up litter across the state this spring. Iowans are invited to host a 2026 Pick-Up Iowa event in their communities. Pick-Up Iowa will run from April 1st, 2025 through June 30th, 2026. 

Pick-Up Iowa, a Keep Iowa Beautiful program, promotes focused efforts to clean up trash along Iowa's roadsides, neighborhoods, streets, school grounds, parks, forests, and streams. Since 2020, Pick-Up Iowa participants have hosted 260+ clean-up events statewide, engaging an average of 2,000 volunteers annually. Pick-Up Iowa is part of Keep America Beautiful's "Greatest American Cleanup", the nation's largest community improvement program that engages more than 300,000 volunteers each year. 

"Pick-Up Iowa is more than just a clean-up initiative, it's a chance to build local leadership through volunteer work that brings people together to make their community shine," said Andy Frantz, Executive Director of Keep Iowa Beautiful. "When residents team up to beautify their town, they're not just improving public spaces, they're strengthening civic pride too." 

Anyone can participate in Pick-Up Iowa! Residents, service clubs, and community groups across Iowa are encouraged to plan and host their own pick-up event in their town. Organizations that often host pick-up events include civic associations, schools, church groups, local sports teams, college clubs, groups of families and friends, businesses, Scouts, municipalities and others. 

Registration is open now! Plan your Pick-Up Iowa event between April 1st and June 30thon a date that works for your group. Sign up today at https://keepiowabeautiful.org/get-involved/community-outreach-opportunities/pick-up-iowa/ and explore our Pick-Up Iowa resources on our website to help plan and promote your pick-up event. 

Join us in making your community cleaner, greener, and more beautiful! 

About Keep Iowa Beautiful 
Founded in 2000 by Governor Robert D. Ray and Donald F. Lamberti, Keep Iowa Beautiful is a statewide non-profit empowering Iowans to create vibrant communities and build hometown pride through volunteer-driven enhancement programs. An affiliate of the Keep America Beautiful program, Keep Iowa Beautiful strives for a thriving Iowa supported by strong local leadership, beautiful public spaces, and engaged residents. To learn more about our programs or to donate, please visit our website at https://keepiowabeautiful.org/.