Cedar Rapids Celebrates Record 1-Bag Challenge Cleanup

Community cleanup program surpasses prior years, with about 7,500 bags collected this year.

Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Civic Engagement

Plain black garbage bags set neatly at the curb of a tidy riverbank path, with a calm river and tall grass beyond. — Cedar Rapids residents collected roughly 7,500 bags of litter this year through the city's 1-Bag Challenge, extending a program that has gathered an estimated 25,000 bags since 2010. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Would you join a community cleanup effort to pick up litter in your area?

Cedar Rapids celebrated another year of its community 1-Bag Challenge, which encourages residents to collect at least one bag of litter each year. The program recorded more than 10,000 bags in 2025, its highest reported total, and this year's collection reached approximately 7,500 bags.

Why it matters

The initiative has grown from a response to downtown litter into a communitywide cleanup effort, with an estimated 25,000 bags collected since 2010. It shows how a simple, low-cost volunteer program can sustain civic participation in Cedar Rapids over many years.

The city reports approximately 7,500 bags collected this year, compared with more than 10,000 bags in 2025, the program's highest total. Since the 2010 launch, an estimated 25,000 bags have been collected, though the source does not specify how participation is divided among individuals and groups.

The players

City of Cedar Rapids

The municipal government of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which runs the 1-Bag Challenge and supplies free bags and gloves to participants.

Jeff Pomeranz

The City Manager of Cedar Rapids who launched the 1-Bag Challenge in 2010 after noticing litter in downtown.

The details

The 1-Bag Challenge asks residents to collect at least one bag of litter each year. The city provides free bags and gloves, and participants leave filled bags out with regular trash for collection.

2010: City Manager Jeff Pomeranz launched the initiative after litter was noticed in downtown Cedar Rapids.
2025: The program recorded more than 10,000 bags, its highest reported total.
This year: Approximately 7,500 bags were collected, and the community celebration was held.
Winter months: Free cleanup bags are available for pickup at City Hall.

Season Trajectory

This year's approximately 7,500 bags falls below the program's record of more than 10,000 in 2025, so the celebration marks a year that followed the highest total the initiative has reported. The cumulative estimate of about 25,000 bags since 2010 shows the program has built a long collection record, even as annual totals fluctuate.

Residents can pick up free cleanup bags and gloves at City Hall during the winter months. Participants leave filled bags out with regular trash for collection, making it easy to join without extra trips.

The takeaway

A single bag and a pair of gloves is enough to take part in the 1-Bag Challenge, so residents can contribute to Cedar Rapids' cleanup with minimal effort. Keeping litter out of downtown streets starts with individual choices made each year.