The Community Appearance Index is an annual roadside litter audit. The results provide metrics that help determine the impact of litter on the quality of life in the community. They also help set goals and develop effective community improvement education programs and projects.
Why do we audit litter?
From Keep America Beautiful: Litter is more than just a mark on our landscape. Litter is costly to clean up, impacts our quality of life and economic development, and eventually ends up in our waterways and oceans. […] Litter cleanup costs more than $11.5 billion each year. The indirect costs of litter are also considerable. For example, litter in a community decreases property values by 7 percent.
The Community Appearance Index (formerly Litter Index) is a great tool for tracking litter prevention and education. The scores change over time and between locations, allowing KCB to map out the problem areas and deploy Adopt-A-Road and other groups to specific spots.
| Year | 2022 |
|---|---|
| District 1 | 1.29 |
| District 2 | 1.74 |
| District 3 | 1.58 |
| District 4 | 1.51 |
| District 5 | 1.74 |
| District 6 | 1.45 |
| County | 1.55 |
| Year | 2021 |
|---|---|
| District 1 | 1.63 |
| District 2 | 1.78 |
| District 3 | 1.39 |
| District 4 | 1.36 |
| District 5 | 1.86 |
| District 6 | 1.80 |
| County | 1.64 |
| Year | 2020 |
|---|---|
| District 1 | 2.07 |
| District 2 | 1.89 |
| District 3 | 1.38 |
| District 4 | 1.49 |
| District 5 | 2.35 |
| District 6 | 1.78 |
| County | 1.83 |
| Year | 2019 |
|---|---|
| District 1 | 1.48 |
| District 2 | 1.50 |
| District 3 | 1.72 |
| District 4 | 1.18 |
| District 5 | 1.88 |
| District 6 | 1.60 |
| County | 1.56 |
How does it work?
The audit keeps “litter” scores of 10% of Carroll County roads. Each of the six County Commission Districts consists of a designated route, and each route has TEN road sections. Volunteers have different roles in the audit – some drive the vehicles (typically County workers who help with the Index), some navigate, and 3-4 volunteers per vehicle observe the type and volume of litter they see. The information collected is compiled into a report and sent to Keep America Beautiful to be added to the national database.
Community Appearance Scores
Keep Carroll Beautiful volunteers assess the roads using a 1 to 4 scale, where:
1 – “Minimal or No Litter”
- Virtually no litter.
- 1 or 2 small items visible in a city block or equivalent.
- Any trash could be collected quickly by one individual.
- Generally tidy appearance.
Virtually no litter can be observed in the Site. The scorer may see one or two small items in a city block or equivalent. Any litter seen could be collected quickly by one individual. The entire Site has a generally tidy appearance.
2 – “Slightly Littered”
- A small amount of litter.
- Littered items do not continually grab the eye.
- The site could be cleaned in a short time.
Litter is obvious, but the eye
is not continually grabbed by
littered items. The Site could
be cleaned in a short period of
time.
3 – “Littered”
- Visible litter catches your eye frequently
- Organized effort for removal
- Considerable effort to clean
Visible litter catches your eye
frequently throughout the
Site. An organized effort for
removal is required with
considerable effort to clean up
the Site.
4 – “Extremely Littered”
- Continuous amount of litter
- Litter first thing noticed
- Might include an illegal dump
- Equipment may be required for removal
- Strong impression of a lack of concern about litter
A continuous amount of litter
is one of the first things
noticed about the Site. Illegal
dumpsites might be observed.
Equipment may be required to
clean up. There is a strong
impression of a lack of concern
about litter in the Site.
Source: KAB
When is the Community Appearance Index conducted?
In Carroll County, the annual audit is completed early in the calendar year – usually in January or February. If you are interested in participating – don’t hesitate to contact Keep Carroll Beautiful at 678-321-4816 or head to our volunteer signup page to send us a message.