Celebrate America's Independence…and Our Beautiful Places

Everybody loves celebrating America’s birthday on the Fourth of July! We believe everyone has a right to live (and celebrate!) in a clean, green and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision.

Whether you’re having a picnic in a park, heading to the beach for fireworks, or hanging out in your own backyard, it’s a great time to remember the importance of living by the”Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.” mantra to preserve and protect America’s beautiful places.

Follow the tips below from Keep America Beautiful to add a little “green” to your red, white and blue!

1. Put litter in its place. Pack out your trash – or other litter you pick up – and place it in the proper receptacle at the park or beach exit. You can always bring littered items or recyclables home, if receptacles aren’t present.
2. Drink eco-responsibly. Ask guests to bring a reusable cup or provide fun options like mason jars. If using plastic cups, provide a marker for guests to write their names on them to limit usage. And place a blue recycling bin in clear sight to make sure cups, bottles and cans are collected once empty!
3. Collect plastic wrap and bags separately to drop off at a local retailer (more than 18,000 locations, including most supermarkets). Plastic grocery bags, hot dog and hamburger bun bags, bags of ice – these plastic bags are recyclable, but not in the curbside recycling bin.
4. Choose reusable or compostable dishware and utensils versus single-use.
5. Use clearly-marked pitchers for beverages such as water, lemonade, iced tea or adult-only cocktails. Consider making beverages at home and serve them in pitchers.
6. Store your festive red, white and blue decorations after the party is over so you can use them again next year!

While you’re celebrating our nation’s birthday with family and friends, help Keep America Beautiful create a cleaner, greener and more beautiful America by participating in our #4forthe4th campaign.

Every gift of $4 or multiple of $4 will help us continue our vital work to End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify America's Communities.

Your support helps Keep America Beautiful and its more than 600 state and local affiliates conduct programs and service projects, such as the recent examples below, that deliver measurable environmental, economic and social benefits to urban, suburban and rural communities nationwide.

• Keep America Beautiful’s recent Great American Cleanup event with local partner East Side Partnership at a number of locations in Stamford, Connecticut, home of its national headquarters. Read more.
   
• Members of Keep America Beautiful’s staff joined volunteers from Liberty International Underwriters and the National Park Service to beautify the north end of Ellis Island in New York Harbor. The Ellis Island project was the third of three events hosted by Keep America Beautiful for Liberty International Underwriters volunteers this year. Read more.
   
• Keep America Beautiful affiliate Keep Cincinnati Beautiful engaged local UPS volunteers to assist on its Price Hill Vacant Lots Occupied Project, which is putting unused vacant property to good use by planting trees, along with other food-bearing plants, to give these properties new life. Read more.

Be sure to check us out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for tips, reminders and more.

Support #4forthe4th and help us #DoBeautifulThings.