The Litter Myth

Hide caption A Keep America Beautiful ad that was made in partnership with the Ad Council. Previous Next Library of Congress

Hide caption Iron Eyes Cody presents the first place Keep America Beautiful award to Leland C. Barbeur, President of the Fayetteville, N.C., County Youth Council, in 1975. Previous Next PBR/AP

Hide caption Iron Eyes Cody presents President Jimmy Carter with a Native American headdress in the Oval Office on April 21, 1978. Cody also gave Carter a Native American name, Wamblee Ska, which he said means great white eagle. Previous Next Peter Bregg/AP 1 of 3 i View slideshow

There is more waste in the world today than at any time in history, and the responsibility for keeping the environment clean too often falls on individuals instead of manufacturers. But, why us? And why this feeling of responsibility? This week, how one organization changed the American public's relationship with waste and who is ultimately responsible for it.

This episode has been updated to include a statement from Keep America Beautiful

If you would like to read more about the topic:

YouTube

We love to hear from our listeners! Tweet at us @throughlineNPR, send us an email, or leave us a voicemail at (872) 588-8805.