Since the Clean California initiative began in July 2021, Caltrans and its partners have removed 3.4 million cubic yards of litter and debris from highways and public spaces across the state. This amount equals more than 136,000 garbage trucks filled with waste. The collection included items such as 15,500 mattresses and 57,000 tires.
The program has also enlisted over 72,000 community clean-up volunteers and created thousands of jobs during its four-year span. Maintenance crews have focused on cleaning state highways and public rights of way, while more than 650 free dump days were hosted in both urban and rural communities. Additionally, the effort has led to the installation of 639 pieces of art along highways.
As part of ongoing efforts to address homelessness along state rights-of-way, a new statewide task force was recently convened by Governor Gavin Newsom to prioritize encampment removal and provide services and shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness in California’s ten largest cities.
Governor Newsom described the initiative’s broader impact: “Clean California has become an overwhelming success and a model our state can continue to build on. Yes, we’ve removed hundreds of thousands of garbage trucks worth of trash from our roads and highways, but it’s more than that — we’ve invested in communities all across our state with public art projects and parks, creating thousands of jobs and lifting up countless neighborhoods in need.”
So far, Clean California has led to the completion or launch of 314 beautification projects—including new parks, public art installations, improvements at transit stations—with 191 projects completed to date. In total, these activities have generated about 18,000 job opportunities.
A notable recent project is the nearly $5 million Dixieanne Neighborhood Clean and Green Alleys project in Sacramento’s Old North Sacramento area. The work improved 23 residential alleys using permeable pavers, repaired fencing, planted shade trees, and added public art to encourage community gathering and active transportation.
Additionally, according to information provided by Keep America Beautiful surveys referenced by Caltrans https://www.kab.org/, more than 72,000 volunteers participated in clean-up events as part of this initiative.
In another aspect aimed at fostering sustained local engagement with environmental enhancement goals,https://cleanca.com/ reports that 110 communities have pledged commitment to becoming designated Clean California Communities by meeting criteria tied to zero litter standards; thirty have already achieved full designation status.
More information about related programs can be found at https://build.ca.gov/.
