Counting 35 Billion Pieces of Litter, Part 1: Digging into the Keep America Beautiful 2026 National Litter Study

In this episode of Do Beautiful Things, Jennifer Lawson, President and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, joins David Scott, PhD, SVP of Data and Research, to discuss the 2026 National Litter Study and what a 34% decline in litter means for communities nationwide. Dr. Scott offers an inside look at what it takes to count 35 billion pieces of litter across thousands of miles of roadways, waterways, and, for the first time, coastal areas—from rigorous field research conducted by trained environmental consultants to the careful methods used to ensure reliable, unbiased data. Download the 2026 National Litter Study: https://kab.org/litter/litter-study/ Show Notes 00:00 Research partnerships on litter studies 05:50 Conducting thorough litter research 09:55 Discussing per capita litter issue 11:39 Studying litter and water pollution 15:05 Impact of coastal pollution