A decades-old public awareness campaign is making its return in Cincinnati in 2022. If you lived in Cincinnati in the ‘90′s, you might feel some nostalgia as you remember “Don’t Trash the ‘Nati,” an anti-littering campaign from Keep Cincinnati Beautiful. Now it’s back—with a twist.
Mayor Aftab Pureval announced the campaign’s return at City Hall alongside City Council members Liz Keating, Meeka Owens, Scotty Johnson and Mark Jeffreys as well as Keep Cincinnati Beautiful leadership. First launched in 1998, “Don’t Trash the ‘Nati” saw a 15 percent reduction in litter, according to Pureval. “Evaluations of the previous campaign showed a positive impact on our communities’ knowledge about littering and waste management,” he said.
Now it’s been turned into a months-long, city-wide competition pitting each of Cincinnati’s 52 neighborhoods against one another. The winning neighborhood will receive a $10,000 prize for a beautification effort. The neighborhood will also recognized during a celebration in spring 2023. The campaign is partnering with community councils, high schools and local businesses to organize clean-up events.