Keep Columbus Beautiful has closed out its 2026 Litter League season and named the winning teams by division, according to the organization's September bulletin.
Winners include Keep It Clean in the family and individual category with 235 bags, Southern Orchards Clean Crew in the community division with 162 bags, Short North Muay Thai among businesses with 1,812 bags, and Trash Party in the nonprofit and faith-based group with 1,704 bags. In the youth division, Food Is Life - Linden and Girl Scouts Troop 7012 tied at nine bags apiece.
Across the season, organizers report that participants gathered 5,460 bags of litter, which they estimate equals 204,750 pounds removed from neighborhoods, parks, and community spaces. Winning teams are scheduled to be honored at a Litter League Night at the Columbus Clippers on September 15, and organizers say one champion will throw a first pitch.
The bulletin also lists several fall activities. A Scioto Sweep river cleanup is set for September 20 at Scioto Audubon Metro Park, with Keep Columbus Beautiful joining Green Columbus, Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks, and the Scioto Watershed Action Group. The Scioto Sweep has run since 2019.
A community conversation on reducing food waste, hosted with Columbus Food Rescue as part of The Big Table, is scheduled for September 29 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at 2100 Alum Creek Dr. Green Columbus is also planning free fall tree giveaways: September 27 on the South Side, October 4 in Franklinton, and October 11 in Linden.
The bulletin thanks corporate volunteers from Anheuser-Busch, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Deloitte, Jeni's, Scotts Miracle-Gro, and Seer Interactive.