Who We Are

We inspire and educate Mississippians to take action every day to impact, improve, and beautify their community’s environment.

A lone tree standing in a green field under a cloudy sky.

How do we do it?

Keep Mississippi Beautiful works to inspire and educate Mississippians to improve their communities by preventing litter, promoting recycling, and beautification. We encourage all citizens to be responsible for improving the state’s scenic beauty and quality of life.

These efforts boost civic pride, livability and local economies. KMB is a certified state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc., the nation’s largest community improvement organization. KMB was created in 1988 and leads a network of 60 certified local affiliates across the state.

MISSION AREAS

Person wearing gloves and rain boots cleaning up litter from a riverbank with a plastic bag.

LITTER PREVENTION

We like clean communities. We work with our volunteers and community affiliates to pick up and prevent litter through cleanup efforts and education programs. We donate trailers to aid sheriff’s departments with litter cleanup programs.

Our current campaign, “Be Beautiful, Keep Your Community Clean and Green” and “Be Beautiful, Keep Our Waterways Litter-Free”, includes billboards with Lamar Advertising, social media, and broadcast messaging with SuperTalk Mississippi throughout the state of Mississippi.

A vibrant field of wildflowers including pink poppies, red poppies, and small blue flowers, with a blurred green and dark background.

BEAUTIFICATION

Mississippi is a beautiful place. Through the Great American Cleanup and other projects, we work with volunteers to clean and green Mississippi communities.

Through our Wildflower Trails of Mississippi project, we offer seeds to improve the aesthetics of public places, roadsides, parks and other locations. With support from one of the world’s largest bulb distributors, Van Zyverdens, we are able to offer flower bulbs to our affiliate communities.

RECYCLING

We work closely with the Mississippi Recycling Coalition, businesses and communities to increase recycling opportunities and awareness in Mississippi. Our affiliates participate in America Recycles Day, host hazardous waste collection days, and promote other ways to use resources wisely.

A classroom filled with students sitting at desks, facing a teacher at the front, with a whiteboard and colorful posters on the walls.

EDUCATION

The first step in defeating litter is teaching citizens about it. We work closely with teachers to educate students about how to put litter in its place. Keep America Beautiful’s Waste in Place curriculum guide has hands-on lesson plans on litter prevention, beautification, community greening, recycling and an integrated approach to solid waste management.

We're all called to serve one another — not with fingers or social media posts pointing out problems, or passing daily the ugliness of forgotten areas where others live and work; nor for the purpose of making money.

Our hands, feet, words and actions are meant to reflect our hearts and our love for our neighbors and this place we call home. Mississippians are known for giving, and many are thankfully rising up or continuing to do the needed work to Keep Mississippi Beautiful.

We can all agree our Mississippi needs to look much better. So let's use what we've got, join together, and — as you go, pick it up. Go serve in your neighborhood, the other side of town, or another community. Encourage others to join you, or join them. Don't wait for someone else to do it.

Mississippi is rich with beauty and heart. Now let's show that we love it and care for it, with everything we've got — and KEEP MISSISSIPPI BEAUTIFUL.