keeping the palmetto state clean

PalmettoPride is committed to the eradication of litter and the promotion of beautification in South Carolina. We will accomplish this by leading the effort to motivate and organize groups to clean up existing debris. The ultimate objective is changing behavior - stopping litter at its source…the people who do it.

In response to the number of citizens concerned with the state of litter in South Carolina, PalmettoPride was created by Senator David L. Thomas and established in its original format by executive order under Governor Hodges in 1999.  PalmettoPride began as the Governor’s Task Force on Beautification and Litter aimed at bringing citizens and government groups together to eliminate litter by changing behavior.

PalmettoPride is considered a legislative and executive initiative because of the demand of South Carolinians to have an organization dedicated to the enhancement of the natural beauty of South Carolina.

PalmettoPride is a non-profit, 501(c) 3 organization that is a true public/private partnership comprised of state agencies, concerned citizens, corporate sponsors, and community and civic organizations with the stated goal of encouraging "behavioral change" in our citizens about litter. As our partnerships and programs increased and matured, our organization outgrew the task force status and became PalmettoPride, a 501(c) 3 organization, by Executive Order in 2003.

We attribute much of our success to our four-pronged approach to litter reduction: Education, Enforcement, Awareness and Pickup.  We measure our success in many ways in these four areas. 

Our Education efforts have reached thousands of school children through an anti-litter curriculum and a marionette show;

We work with law Enforcement to prosecute littering and illegal dumping;

We raise Awareness of the situation through advertising, public relations, grassroots organization and other efforts to let people know reducing litter isn’t just about beautification, it’s about economic development;

We work with hundreds of local organizations and thousands of volunteers on Pick-up efforts that have dramatically reduced litter.