A group of cub scouts pick up trash at last year's Great American Cleanup by Keep Troup Beautiful.

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A group of children clean at the West Point RiverPark at the 2012 Great American Cleanup, an annual event hosted locally by Keep Troup Beautiful.

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Participants of the Great American Cleanup look at the strangest items found during collections at the 2012 Great American Cleanup.

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This group from Long Cane Middle School won the prize during the 2012 Great American Cleanup, sponsored by Keep Troup Beautiful, for most unusual item. The annual litter cleanup, along with other events KTB oversees, will be celebrated during a banquet marking the organization’s 20th anniversary on Feb. 21.

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Keep Troup Beautiful has been collecting trash, cans and recyclables and educating residents about doing the same for 20 years.

Later this month, the group will come together to celebrate the milestone.

Doris Jefferson, Keep Troup Beautiful chairwoman, said the county’s litter problem should continue to be reduced in the next several years.

“The schools are getting so involved now,” she said. “Children and coming up learning about littering and learning about the value of taking care of the planet.”

Keep Troup Beautiful has an awards ceremony every year, but this one should be extra special. The organization is seeking sponsorships from local businesses and individuals to help fund the event at Del’Avant.

The event will recognize groups that have worked with Keep Troup Beautiful on projects throughout its 20 years and name its annual “Awards of Excellence” winners. The keynote speaker is Sarah Visser from the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation.

The event also will highlight Keep Troup Beautiful’s ongoing programs and efforts, such as the Great American Cleanup, Adopt a Spot program, Bring One for the Chipper and America Recycles Day, among other events.

In 2011-2012 alone, the organization had 2,500 volunteers giving 10,000 hours, sponsoring school presentations, community programs and participating in festivals and other events. The Great American Cleanup netted more than 20 tons of trash and 8.75 tons of used tires. The Nike Re-use a Shoe program collected 1,000 athletic shoes for recycling and Cans for Cash collected 1.8 million aluminum cans.

The next Great American Cleanup is scheduled for April 13. West Point will hold a separate event April 20.

More than 300 Christmas trees were recycled in the “Bring one to the Chipper” program. An annual “recycled art” student contest drew 98 works of art displayed at the LaGrange Art Museum. A “Litter Summit” also was held in conjunction with Troup Alive and Green.

“We would love to see more involvement from the community,” Jefferson said. “Our mission has always been to educate.”

To sponsor the 20th anniversary or to volunteer for the annual cleanup, call Keep Troup Beautiful at 706-884-9922.