Started by the Biggest Little City Committee, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful was founded in 1989 under the name Western Nevada Clean Communities. A clean community was one of the Committee’s major priorities, and they began the Adopt-A-Park program to involve citizens in hands-on volunteer activities to spruce up parks and the Truckee River.
Based on the success of the Adopt-A-Park program, and realizing the entire community would benefit from a year-round focus on the issue of cleanliness, the members set about developing a new, separate organization affiliated with Keep America Beautiful.
In January 1989, Western Nevada Clean Communities (WNCC) officially became the organization we know and love today: Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful (KTMB). KTMB was certified by Keep America Beautiful in November 1990. Adopt-A-Park remains a key program, and was joined by Phone Book Recycling in 1991, the kick-off of the Nevada Keep it Clean Campaign in 1992, Christmas Tree Recycling in 1993, and Adopt-A-Spot roadside litter cleanup in 1994. In 1997, KTMB partnered with the City of Reno to develop the “Graffiti Hotline,” which later evolved into Reno Direct and the 329-DUMP illegal dumping hotline. A presentation for children developed first by The Trash Lady, Beth Isaef, morphed over the years to include hands-on educational EcoArt projects, and help kids become Waste Warriors™.
KTMB is dedicated to creating a cleaner, more beautiful region through education and active community involvement. KTMB’s current programs include Adopt-A-Spot, Adopt-A-Park; Christmas Tree Recycling; Phone Book Recycling; the annual Litter Index; Neighborhood, Open Space and River Cleanups; and EcoArt and Waste Warriors™ education programs.
KTMB regularly engages more than 2,500 volunteers annually. For more information on how you can get involved, e-mail or call us at 775.851.5185.
