Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

KEEP INDIANAPOLIS BEAUTIFUL

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that unites people to beautify the city, improve the environment, and foster community pride.

Plant a Tree! Trees Make Good Neighbors! Trees help to reduce crime and foster safer, more

sociable neighborhoods. Properly placed shade trees can save an average household up to $250

annually in energy costs. Trees absorb pollution, cleaning our air and water. For instructions on

how to plant a tree, visit To volunteer for one of KIB’s tree planting

projects, visit or call Sarah Grain at 264.7555 ext.106.

Get FREE trees for your entire block, neighborhood, or community space.

Residents of Marion County can get free trees for their streets and public spaces through Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’s NeighborWoods program.

Neighborhoods or community organizations can receive 20+ trees to plant along residential streets or in public spaces as part of the NeighborWoods program. The trees are 8-15 feet tall, providing immediate benefits to your neighborhood. KIB will provide the support and resources to help you organize your planting. We ask that you and your neighbors help plant the trees, and provide them with water for the first three years.

NeighborWoods, in partnership with the City of Indianapolis, is a program to plant 100,000 trees in Marion County over the next ten years. NeighborWoods founding sponsors include Indianapolis Power & Light Company and Veolia Water. To apply for free trees, or for more information, contact Sarah Grain at or call 264.7555 ext. 106 for an application to be sent to you in the mail.

Recycle! Recycling conserves our limited natural resources. As you run errands and go shopping, look for the large green Recycle Indianapolis 'Drop-Off' containers, placed in specific locations around our city. You can place your recyclable items into any of these containers at no charge. To find a recycling drop-off site near you and to find out about other resources for recycling items such as cell phones, cardboard, etc., visit or call Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. at 264.7555.

For an even easier way to recycle, The City of Indianapolis provides the convenience of weekly curbside recycling to your home for a nominal fee. To subscribe, or to receive more information, call the Mayor’s Action Center at 327.4MAC (4622) or visit

Organize a neighborhood litter cleanup through the Great Indy Cleanup! Litter is not only unsightly but can harm children, animals and the environment. Research also shows strong connections between litter and crime. Organizing a block or neighborhood cleanup is another way you can get involved in making Indianapolis a cleaner, safer and more beautiful place.

The Great Indy Cleanup arms communities with the tools to relieve streets, walkways and alleys of the obtrusive eyesores left behind by litter and illegal dumping. The program runs each weekend from April through October. KIB provides gloves and trash bags for volunteers while supplies last. Dumpsters are provided by DPW. Disposal of the trash is generously donated by South Side Landfill. To organize a neighborhood cleanup, contact Tammy Stevens at or call 264.7555, ext. 116.

Adopt-a-Block! Through the Adopt A Block program, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. provides each block coordinator with a cleanup kit including a broom, shovel, bags, gloves, a litter grabber, heavy duty dust pan, and a bucket. On an annual basis KIB will provide a supply of gloves and trash bags to aid in your cleanup activities! Clean blocks are rewarded with flowers, trees, mini-grants and other goodies to help with block beautification! For more information about how you can become a block coordinator, contact Sarah Grain at or call 264.7555 ext. 106.

Order trash boxes for your next big event! Not having an adequate number of waste receptacles at large events can create a major source of litter. To keep your next event clean and litter-free, take advantage of KIB’s trash box program. Through a partnership with WTHR and the Department of Public Works, KIB is able to provide trash boxes at a cost of only $3.50 each.

To order your trash boxes, contact Laura Fox at or call 264.7555, ext. 100.

Look for greenspace opportunities in your neighborhood! If your neighborhood has a vacant lot or some other barren space, KIB, through IPL Project Greenspace, can help you transform it into a beautiful pocket park or community garden for everyone to enjoy. Transforming these spaces not only enhances the aesthetics of communities but also contributes to improving the safety and livability of neighborhoods. Be a leader in your community by identifying the space and getting your neighborhood involved in its transformation. For more details, contact Phil Schaefer at or call 264.7555, ext. 109.

Adopt-a-Median! There are over 800 medians in Marion County, more than half of which are still available for adoption. Adopting a median is absolutely free! It simply requires that your neighborhood association, garden club, business, organization or you as an individual take the time to care for and beautify the median you adopt. In exchange, your business or organization will get a sign on the median with its name prominently displayed. Adopting a median is a great way to gain recognition for your organization while beautifying and improving the Indianapolis environment.

For more information, visit or contact Mark Adler via email at

or call 264.7555, ext. 105.

Volunteer! Every year, nearly 30,000 volunteers donate their time, sweat and expertise to over 500 community improvement projects coordinated by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful each year. Projects include cleaning up litter, planting trees, creating pocket parks and more! For information about how you can get involved, visit or contact Sarah Grain via email at or call at 264.7555, ext. 106.

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Make a tax-deductible donation to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful! Keep Indianapolis Beautiful strives to assist communities, many with scarce resources to achieve their goals of creating more beautiful and vibrant neighborhoods. As a non-profit organization, our projects would not be possible without the generosity of committed individuals, businesses and other organizations.

Donations often take the form of a monetary contribution or in-kind contributions, such as supplies (mulch, paint brushes, plants, etc.) For more information about how you or your business can make a donation to KIB, visit or call