Each year, thousands of Arkansans improve the appearance of their communities by volunteering in the national Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup™ in Arkansas. Each year, more than 20,000 individuals volunteer some 80,000 hours in communities picking up, cleaning up playgrounds, closing illegal dumping sites, recycling various materials, planting trees, flowers and bulbs, renovating homes and buildings, and removing graffiti. The total economic value of the Great American Cleanup in Arkansas each year is around $1.5 million.

The Great Arkansas Cleanup grew out of an effort that began 40 years ago as the Greers Ferry Lake and Little Red River Cleanup. The first statewide GAC was organized by KAB in 1989. Each year, the GAC includes almost 200 events in nearly 50 Arkansas counties. Just over 20,000 volunteers pick up more than 4.5 million pounds of litter along 8,000 miles of roadway, more than 100 parks and public areas, and 1,500 miles of shoreline, and close numerous illegal dumping sites. The volunteer effort provides the state and participating communities a cost-saving value of more than $1.7 million.