Events are held each year in celebration of Keep America Beautiful week. Highlights of the KAB week this year included a bus tour with city officials to litter sites and getting trash bags donated to give to the March of Dimes March, and encouraging people to pick up litter during the walk.

Keep America Beautiful events were held with Topekans in Action. First FREE landfill day.

Sheriff Ritchey came up with an idea for a county wide cleanup. The county would be divided into sections, with volunteer groups within that section enlisted to clean up their section. Then the trash would be taken to a central dumping place. Food would be procured from people in that area for the volunteers. The county covers 640 square miles. This effort could easily encompass 1,000 people. Litter survey showed an increase in litter for the first time. Illegal dump site issues were addressed. At the Go Fourth Celebration at Washburn University “Stash the Trash” signs were posted near trash receptacles. Warning signs were posted at possible illegal dump sites.

This year KAB has joined the office of Kansas Beverage Industry Recycling Program or KS BIRP. Chiquita Cornelius is President. Funding options were discussed as it appeared that the public dollars will no longer be available. Bill Nash of national Keep America Beautiful indicated that the strongest and most active programs were funded from the private sector, instead of the public. It was noted that corporate contributions were almost non-existent in this community at this time.

Jerold Binkley presented a plan to landscape the gazebo at the Expo Center using the proceeds from his private tulip tour. This year the Model Block Program was introduced. It was a program designed to improve a block in a neighbor using federal grants and matching funds from the private sector. Great improvements and beautification efforts are made within that area. The Avenue of Trees, a project to plant trees from Forbes Field to 10th Street was begun.

The 10th Anniversary of KAB was celebrated this year. Accomplishments included:
-thousands of litterbags distributed
-Adopt-A-Park program
-Neighborhood Improvement Association cleanups
-Free landfill days
-anti-litter signage
-Brighten Your Corner Awards established
-Environmental Court established
-recycling programs expanded
-Avenue of Trees implemented

Topeka was the 72nd city certified under the Keep America Beautiful system.

Proposal is made to charge surcharge on solid waste to implement programs in the area of environmental concerns. Flyer created and distributed for every truck owner regarding statutes. Public Lands day held at Lake Perry with 150 participants. First Project ReDirectory, phone book recycling event held.

A permanent HHW site was established and run by the County at Forbes Field. Capital City Pallet purchased a tub grinder for pallets, construction debris and trees. Kathy Dechand’s Girl Scout troop placed second in the Youth Organization Category at the National KAB convention. Legislation of $1.50 per ton charge on waste disposed of was passed to go into effect January 1, 1993.

KDHE held Earth Day at the zoo in April. Compost bin program by Shawnee County Extension and Master Gardeners begins. Fourteen houses were painted for the Great American Cover Up.

17,000 tires collected at the tire amnesty. Topeka Waste Systems implemented a new curbside recycling program.

Litter Control Commission name officially changed to Keep America Beautiful-Topeka/Shawnee County in May of 1998. Topeka Waste Systems discontinued curbside recycling in spring of 1998. Mayor’s Mowing Assistance Program (MAP), a program to enlist volunteers to mow yards for the elderly, physically challenged and low income people was introduced. The Recovery Technology Program (R TECH) introduced by Clif Hess of Washburn Rural High School. Model Block monies not approved in time for planning. “Waste In Place” program created and distributed to three schools. America Recycles Day celebration theme “Buy Recycled.”

First Topeka Cemetery cleanup.

25th anniversary of our local KAB affiliate held at Gage Park. Earth Day event at Gage Park. Beginning of Lake Shawnee beautification project. Great American Cleanup is now a three month event. Kansas Birp launches Keep Kansas Beautiful. Cell phones were collected for America Recycles Day.

Monroe Re-Development Project was a makeover of that area. Chiquita announced the phasing out of Kansas Business and Industry Recycling Program.

New programs this year included: KAB Extreme Team, a volunteer group with goes out each month to hold cleanups in areas of extreme litter; KAB Trash Troopers, a group of health minded individuals were encouraged to take a trash bag and pick up litter when they go walking; Earth Day at the Capitol; the St. Patrick’s Day Parade “Waste Brigade”; and Project Takeover/Makeover, a city wide cleanup held over 4 weekends in partnership with the City of Topeka and Shawnee County. Over 945 volunteers removed 3 million pounds of litter, trash and debris from our neighborhoods. A spin off group was formed, Topeka’s Terrific Tremendously Talented Tree Trimming Team. This group goes into very public areas and trims trees and shrubs to improve the appearance of our community. A Troy Bilt Chipper/shredder/vac was donated to Topeka Cemetery and 2,000 fleece jackets made from recycled plastic were donated to Topeka Rescue Mission.  National KAB awards included:  Affiliate 2nd place and Waste Management of Kansas 1st place.

New this year was the T.A.G. Team (Topekans Against Graffiti) and we also participated in Oprah’s Big Give community improvement campaign. Also, at our Annual Appreciation Luncheon we honored KAB Volunteer of the Year, Marge Heeney as well as local business and civic national award nominations. National awards included: Jayhawk Council Boy Scouts 2nd place; and three Distinguished Service Citations for BRB Contractors, Inc., KTKA 49 ABC, and Topeka Housing and Neighborhood Development.

A newsletter was created this year. New programs included: No Children Left Inside, an educational program; Lend a Bin, a portable recycle bin lending program; painting of a mural along our Shunga Trail; and the Return of Operation Noah’s Ark, an aluminum can collection to benefit Topeka Zoo. At our Annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon we honored Shirley Kral as our KAB Volunteer of the Year, Marge Heeney as our nominee for Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson Award and Mayor Bill Bunten as our nominee for the Iron Eyes Cody Award. National winners included: Affiliate 1st place; Waste Management 1st place; and Sherwin Williams 1st place.

New this year was a community-wide litter clean-up “Get Down and Get Dirty” with 1,300 volunteers. Also a mobile collection of hazardous waste called “Haz Mat Hits the Road.” We helped cleanup the Children’s Discovery Center in preparation for their grand opening. Our new cigarette litter campaign was “Butt Buckets On the Go” offering cigarette ash receptacles on loan for civic events. We received a grant from Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores to help out our neighbors in Harveyville after their devastating tornado. Maggie and Eldon Pinick were honored as volunteers of the year, and we changed the name of the award honoring them. National award winners were: CLPP Distinguished Service Citation, Custom Tree Care 1st place in Business Beautification; Eisenhower Middle School 2nd place in Schools for Litter Prevention; 2nd place to Waste Management of Kansas in Business Litter Prevention; 2nd place to Payless ShoeSource in Business for Waste Reduction and a Distinguished Service Citation to Shawnee County Parks and Recreation for Litter Prevention.

New this year was CSI Shawnee County. This program sends volunteers into neighborhoods to clean out storm drains hoping to prevent flooding and litter from entering our waterways. Also, we planted our first community garden “Garden of Hope.” Proceeds from the garden go to the Topeka Rescue Mission and the homeless.

Jim Robinson was honored as the Maggie and Eldon Pinick award recipient at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon. The Great American Cleanup brought our usual events: Get Down and Get Dirty, Advantage Metals bonus program, Earth Day Celebration and Topeka Cemetery beautification. We also had a new event, Tricks, Treats and Tulips in October.

Maggie Kelley was honored as the Maggie and Eldon Pinick award recipient at our annual Volunteer Appreciation luncheon.  Educational events included:  Kansas Lawn and Garden Show, the History and Environmental Fair, and the Topeka Water Festival.  Regular events like Get Down and Get Dirty, Festival of Tulips, Topeka Cemetery, Spirit of Kansas cleanup, and Tricks, Treats and Tulips were held.  We added an Arbor Day Tree Trimming event and World Naked Gardening Day.  We also received a grant from Duracell and introduced a Battery Exchange program.  Field trips included:  Moburt’s, the Curtis House and the Evel Knieval Museum.

The year began with the KAB convention in Memphis and the Lawn and Garden Show.  After that COVID-19 hit and things were a lot different than normal.  While we were able to hold some of the outdoor activities like cleanups, we were completely limited on indoor activities.  We did form a new group “Friends of Reinisch” and we put in many, many hours pulling weeds in the rose garden in Gage Park.  Our Free Days were held in celebration of Earth Day, and we met with Russ Burlew viewing and learning about purple martins in June.  We hope to be back to normal in 2021.

After the April 2022 Get Down & Get Dirty Clean-up, KAB had received news that the new Executive Director Cheryl Kunard, who was hired in late 2021, had to step down due to health reasons. During this time Community Resources Council (CRC) stepped in to keep KAB afloat. Brittany Laughlin who worked for CRC as an Admin Assistant at the time, helped KAB get back on track. 

Brittany worked hard to understand what KAB's mission was and coninued to hold meetings with the Board to ensure everything was running smootly. 

In late September the Board new they had to secure another Executive Director to continue doing the good work, but was having a hard time trying to find someone who could permenantely fill the roll. The Board put the job notice out to the community, and carefuly reviwed all apllicants. 

In early October, the Board held an Executive Meeting and decided that Brittany Laughlin would be the next Executive Director. 

2024 History Coming Soon!