News brief
Litter has declined across America over the past 5 years.
Keep America Beautiful has found 鈥渆ncouraging evidence that litter is a solvable issue and that meaningful progress is underway.鈥� In 2020, its researchers examined 700 randomly selected sites, from roadsides to watersides, for litter. They revisited those same nationwide locations in 2025, cataloguing each discarded item. Litter had declined by 34%. Of the approximately 35 billion pieces of litter last year, there was a notable rise in cardboard and tire detritus but declines in other categories, including a 62% drop in cigarette butts. In a companion survey The Harris Poll, 90% of respondents said it was 鈥渢heir personal responsibility to help reduce litter.鈥�
