Programs and Upcoming Events

Keep America Beautiful is celebrating 25 years of the Great American Cleanup (GAC)! Join Keep Coral Gables Beautiful this GAC season at one of our community events, first one below, or host your own beginning March 27 through June 21.

Pinewood Cemetery Cleanup

Join us on Friday, Aug. 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the entrance of the Pinewood Cemetery located at 7301 Erwin Road, Coral Gables, FL 33143. During this event, volunteers will remove invasive plants and any litter found throughout this historic cemetery. Parking is very limited. Carpooling, ridesharing, public transport, or walking is highly recommended. There is a bus stop at the corner of the cemetery entrance. Please find the route here:

Bus #37 leaving from South Miami Metro Station to SW 72nd & SW 47th Ave

Supplies will be provided by KCGB. Remember to bring a reusable water bottle, hat, and sunblock. A water cooler will be on-site for additional water refills. Volunteer hours are available upon request. Register here Today!

Downtown Community Cleanup – End of Summer Edition

Community Summer Cleanup Event

Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) Rewards Incentive Program

The city and Cycle are teaming up to reward Coral Gables residents and visitors for recycling their empty aluminum and plastic containers at the War Memorial Youth Center. The official program's launch took place on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. This program is made possible through the Florida Beverage Association Community Grant.

How it works:

Recycle your plastic bottles or aluminum cans at the RVM machine located at the War Memorial Youth Center, 405 University Drive.
Scan the QR code that appears onscreen at the end of your recycling transaction to enter the bi-monthly contest and check the leaderboard.
At the end of each contest cycle, the top 10 total recyclers will receive a reward from a local Coral Gables business partner. The leaderboard will reset at the beginning of each cycle. Official rules and conditions [PDF]

Businesses

Participate in local sustainability initiatives while driving foot traffic to your storefront! Learn more about this program and the location's market demographic [PDF]. Contact kcgb@coralgables.com for more details on how you can become a retail partner and reward your customers through this incentive program.

Keep Coral Gables Beautiful is offering Litter Kits for individuals and small groups looking to host recurring solo cleanups in Coral Gables. Each litter kit has everything that you need to hold your own cleanup event. The litter kit includes a collapsible litter picker, a safety vest, a pair of reusable gloves, biodegradable trash bags, a handheld weight scale, a large reusable bag for recyclables and/or storing filled trash bags, and a container to collect cigarette butts. Litter Kits are made possible through Keep America Beautiful grant program. Kit recipients will be asked to complete a post cleanup report for data collection. Volunteer hours are provided upon request. If you are interested in a litter kit, please fill out the litter kit request form. Limited availability.

Request a litter kit

The Commercial Beautification Awards serve to recognize businesses that have gone above and beyond with the beautification and maintenance of their storefronts and surrounding areas. Learn more about business and commercial property owners' maintenance responsibilities.

Nominations will be accepted beginning March 1 through April 30.

KCGB Commercial Beautification Awards Nomination Criteria [PDF]

Nominate a Coral Gables business for the 2023 Commercial Beautification Awards.

Keep Coral Gables Beautiful Information

Keep Coral Gables Beautiful is a local affiliate of the Keep America Beautiful and Keep Florida Beautiful organizations.

Mailing List

Want to stay notified of upcoming Keep Coral Gables Beautiful events? Join our mailing list.

Business/Group Cleanups

Whether you are a business looking for team-building opportunities or a group of friends wanting to give back to the community, we will help you coordinate a cleanup event. Complete and submit the KCGB Business/Group Event Request Form to get started.

To promote environmental sustainability and educate the community to take action every day to reduce litter from our open spaces & waterways, improve recycling efforts, and keep our City Beautiful.

Solanch Lopez and Matthew Anderson

Office Address: 405 Biltmore Way, Suite 100, Coral Gables, FL 33134.

Phone: 305-569-1835 | 305-460-5008

Email: KCGB@coralgables.com

More Initiatives and Past Events

In this section

Battery Recycling Program

Keep Coral Gables Beautiful has launched a new year-round Battery Recycling Pilot Program. This program aligns with the city’s goal of reducing waste that ends up in landfills and building a more resilient and sustainable City Beautiful. Since its launch in July 2021, over 1,000 pounds of batteries have been collected and recycled. Learn more about accepted batteries.

Battery recycling bins have been placed in the following locations:

Development Services Center: 427 Biltmore Way
City Hall: 405 Biltmore Way
Police and Fire Headquarters: 2151 Salzedo St.
War Memorial Youth Center: 405 University Drive
Public Works Department: 2800 SW 72nd Ave.

Air Potato Patrol

Air potatoes in South Florida are an invasive and noxious weed. To remove, pull them out from the bulb and detach from the vine. Place them in a plastic bag as they can continue to grow if left on the ground. How to spot and remove air potatoes.

Commissioner Anderson's Removal Campaign

In an effort to build awareness, Commissioner Anderson is giving out a $10 dollar Books & Books gift card for anyone that brings in one pound of air potatoes. You can bring them to City Hall to her office or at a city event. Events the Air Potato Patrol will be attending will be posted here.

Downtown Community Cleanup - Spring Cleaning Edition

To celebrate the Great American Cleanup season, Keep Coral Gables Beautiful held a Downtown Community Cleanup on May 23. Thirty-four volunteers collected more than 280 pounds of litter from the downtown area, setting a new record. Three teams and two individual participants won more than $800 in prizes for the Most Pounds Collected. A special thank you to the city’s partners at the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Improvement District, Clutch Burger, Forte by Chef Adrianne, and Baptist Health South Florida.

Dual North America - Global Giving Week

Companies are encouraged to participate in organizing community cleanups in partnership with Keep Coral Gables Beautiful. Recently, Dual North America took to Old Cutler Road as part of their Global Giving Week. The Dual team collected 50 pounds of litter in one hour helping to keep our City clean and beautiful.

Environmental Film Screening & Panel Discussion

In celebration of Earth Month in Coral Gables, KCGB hosted a screening of “The Biggest Little Farm” on April 5 at the Coral Gables Art Cinema. This documentary is a breathtaking chronicle of one family’s dream to harvest in harmony with nature.

Following the movie, a panel discussion on sustainability was held as part of the national Science on Screen initiative. The panel was moderated by Commissioner Rhonda Anderson with panelist Matthew Anderson – City of Coral Gables Resiliency and Sustainability Manager, Teddy Lhoutellier – University of Miami Sustainability Director, and Irela Bague – Miami Dade County Chief Bay Officer.

The screening of this film was sponsored by Commissioner Rhonda Anderson and coordinated through Keep Coral Gables Beautiful and the Coral Gables Sustainability Advisory Board.

*An initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.

Plogging at Matheson 2022

Keep Coral Gables Beautiful wants to thank everyone that participated in the Great American Cleanup season kick-off event, 'Plogging at Matheson' on April 2, 2022. Participants collected a total of 100 pounds of waste, all while enjoying the spring weather and helping the environment.

Park Pollinator Palooza

Thank you to all the families that came out on Sept. 10 to the Coral Gables Golf and Country Club for Keep Coral Gables Beautiful’s Park Pollinator Palooza. Around 100 pollinator flowers were planted by 64 participants. Families also learned about the available Club memberships. This pollinator patch on the corner of Alhambra Circle and Granada Blvd. is the first phase of a larger pollinator garden planned for the site.