Request a Litter Cleanup Kit using this link
Submit your Cleanup Report using this link
Litter is more than an eyesore—it pollutes our waterways, harms wildlife, and costs communities millions of dollars every year to remove. The good news is that each of us can make a difference.
Keep Gastonia Beautiful makes it easy to get involved by participating in a community litter cleanup. Whether you volunteer on your own, with family and friends, or as part of a group, every piece of litter removed helps create a cleaner, healthier, and more beautiful Gastonia. Your efforts also inspire others to take pride in their community.
Who Can Pick up Litter? Litter-ally everyone!
We welcome everyone from individuals to neighborhood associations, community and youth groups, businesses, schools, churches, civic organizations and beyond...Grab a friend, a pair of gloves, and join us in making a difference—one bag of litter at a time!
Did you know?
• Litter clean-up costs the U.S. more than 11.5 billion each year!
• Trash blowing out of truck beds and tipped roll out bins cause a large percent of litter in our neighborhoods.
• Litter decreases property values, diminishes community appearance and promotes even more litter.
It might not be your litter, but it is your city. Whether you plan to do a one-time cleanup or have adopted a street for years, KGB is happy to provide a litter kit for checkout. Gaston County residents may complete THIS FORM to reserve a kit for their cleanup. The litter cleanup kit includes everything you need for safe and effective cleanups; litter pickers, safety vests, gloves, trash bags and a scale to report back your successful cleanup. Litter Cleanup Kits are also available at the Gaston County Library's "Library of Things". Looking for a meaningful way to give back? Join Keep Gastonia Beautiful's Adopt-A-Street Program and help keep our community clean, safe, and beautiful. By volunteering just a few times each year, you'll help protect our environment, enhance Gastonia's appearance, and inspire others to take pride in our community. The Adopt-A-Street Program helps: Participants agree to: We'll help set you up for success by providing: Want to organize a one-time neighborhood, school, church, or community cleanup instead? Email rebecca.brannon@gastonianc.gov for more information. What is Pliking? Join the Pliking Movement in Gastonia Become a Pliking Ambassador Where It All Started Get Involved Current Pliking Station Locations: Map of all the locations https://arcg.is/1mzfeX Rankin Lake Park (2) Lineberger Greenway (2) Martha Rivers Park (1) Warlick YMCA (1) Crowders Mountain State Park (4): Backside Trail @ Linwood Access Trail @ Sparrow Springs Visitors Center Sparrow Springs Access Trail @ Lake Inside Sparrow Springs Visitor Center Our Pliking stands took wing with the help of Eagle Scout, Zachary Silverman in 2024.
Volunteer Interest Form for the Greatest American Cleanup Let's go from Great to Greatest and cleanup our city! The Great American Cleanup® (GAC) is the largest community improvement program in the United States, engaging more than half a million volunteers on an annual basis through 15,000 different opportunities to get involved. The efforts of Keep America Beautiful and the GAC prompts individuals to take greater responsibility for their local environment. The first day of spring, kicks off our annual Great American Cleanup which runs from March 20-June 20th. At Keep Gastonia Beautiful, we work to inspire citizens to take action every day to improve and beautify our community but believe that if we join together on March 20th we can make a larger impact to improve the appearance of our city. Roadside litter is becoming a larger concern throughout the city. The Great American Cleanup is a call to action to engage more volunteers in public space cleanups, beautification, and recycling events conducted by Keep America Beautiful affiliates nationwide. Juliann Lehman, Keep Gastonia Beautiful Administrator says “It might not be your garbage but it’s your city and we cannot urge you enough to even clean up one bag of trash to keep our city looking green and clean.” We encourage all citizens to join Keep Gastonia Beautiful and give our city a spring cleaning. We will have free supplies available for pick up. If you need specific location suggestions please reach out to rebecca.brannon@gastonianc.gov or juliann.lehman@gastonianc.gov.
Check out a Litter Kit
The following branches have 2 person cleanup kits:
Adopt a Street
Make a Lasting Difference in Your Community
Why Adopt a Street?
Volunteer Responsibilities
What Keep Gastonia Beautiful Provides
Ready to Get Started?
Not Ready to Adopt a Street?
Pliking
Pliking in Gastonia
Picking up litter + hiking = Pliking!
Pliking is inspired by the Swedish fitness trend Plogging, which combines jogging with picking up litter. The word comes from the Swedish plocka upp (to pick up) and jogga (to jog). Pliking puts a local twist on that same idea — combining hiking, fitness, and environmental stewardship. It’s a fun, active way to care for the environment while staying healthy.
Keep Gastonia Beautiful invites you and your friends to get outdoors and help keep our community clean and green! Pliking is not only good for the planet—it’s good for you too. It promotes fitness, builds friendships, and provides a sense of purpose through community service.
Want to take your impact to the next level? Become a Pliking Ambassador and earn some fun KGB swag for you and your crew!
We encourage you to share your cleanup adventures on social media using #KGBPliking — we love seeing our community in action!
Pliking began in Ogden, Utah, as a grassroots effort to encourage litter cleanup and prevention. The movement has grown nationwide through group cleanups, trailhead stations, social media, and educational outreach — and now, it’s thriving right here in Gastonia.
Thank you for your commitment to creating a cleaner, more beautiful Gastonia!
Would you like to:
Host a cleanup or community event?
Have us present at your organization?
Donate a Pliking station for a local park or trail?
Report a station that’s out of bags? 
Working with our staff, he designed a prototype and installed stands along some of our trails.
Great American Cleanup
