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The Keep Rutherford County Beautiful's 6th annual Litter Bowl is underway. Each September, Rutherford County high schools enter into a competition to see which school can pick up the most litter. The 2025 Litter Bowl will kick off Friday, September 19 and will run through Monday, September 29. The goal is to remove litter from public spaces including roadsides, parking lots, public parks, trails and campuses, while encouraging the next generation to become environmental stewards.
Participants will leave collected bags on roadsides and report them to Keep Rutherford County Beautiful (KRCB) for NCDOT or local municipalities to pick up. The winning school will be determined by the total number of bags collected rather than by weight. KRCB will supply safety gloves, vests, pickers and NCDOT trash bags to any team willing to collect.
The Litter Bowl coincides with other litter sweeps statewide, and supports the North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) litter initiative. This competition is not limited to students. Rutherford County citizens are highly encouraged to form litter pickup groups to show support of their favorite local high school while giving back to the community.
Teams get their supplies from the designated school representative and leave the collected litter on the roadside. Participants must use the NCDOT bags provided and submit a collection report through our website. If you are not getting your supplies through the school, contact the KRCB team at 828.338.9649, email krcb@rutherfordoutdoor.org, or visit KeepRCNCBeautiful.org/sign-up-for-a-fall-sweep to register and get supplies.
Last year, over 4,600 of litter were eliminated by Rutherford County high schools. This year, KRBC aspires for another successful year with public schools, charter schools, and homeschool students being involved.participating schools along with their school representatives:
Those participating are:
• East Rutherford High School, Todd Whitley (twhitley@rcsnc.org)
• Lake Lure Classical Academy, Clint Calhoun (ccalhoun@llcharter.org)
• Rutherford Early College High School (REaCH), Heather Roof (heather.roof@rcsnc.org)
• R-S Central High School, Andy Dorsey (adorsey@rcsnc.org)
• Homeschool Association of Rutherford County, Lacey Roach (harc_secretary@yahoo.com).
• Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, Misty Yelton (myelton@tjca.org)
The winning school will take home the Litter Bowl Trophy, made by Jordan Jackson of Night Owl Iron Works, a local blacksmith and "Forged" winner. Previous winners include East Rutherford in 2024 and 2023, Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy in 2019 and 2022, and Lake Lure Classical Academy in 2021. The name of the winning school along with the amount of collected litter will be added to a plaque on the trophy.
Participation is open to all Rutherford County residents. Anyone over the age of 12 may pick up litter in support of their school of choice. Students under the age of 18 picking up litter off campus must be supervised by a chaperone at least 21 years of age. Parents and faculty are encouraged to get involved. No household or inside trash is allowed. Appropriate locations to pick up litter are on roadways, trails, parks and parking lots and around campus.
The KRCB mascot, Rocky the Racoon, will be attending high school football games and school events to encourage the students.
The Litter Bowl teaches students to give back to their community and to care for the environment. Participating students can earn service hours as well as become eligible to apply for KRCB's Green Scholarship, which is awarded to two students each spring. It is the hope of KRCB to inspire the next generation to take care of the spaces where we live, work and play.
Keep Rutherford County Beautiful began as an Earth Day litter pickup and has transformed into a movement throughout Rutherford County, The State of North Carolina. neighbors, industry leaders, business owners, schools and municipalities. As of 2023, KRCB became an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, the nation's largest community improvement organization. This milestone is a testament to the work the organization has put in since 2017 and the progress they have made.
For more information about KRCB, visit www.KeepRCNCBeautiful.org.
