Volunteers at recycling center Sure We Can clean-up McKibbin Street on Earth Day, 2021

A cleanup or clean-up is a form of environmental volunteering where a group of people get together to pick-up and dispose of litter in a designated location.[1][2][3][4] Cleanups can take place on a street, in a neighborhood, at a park, on a water stream, or other public spaces.[5] Cleanup events are often volunteer run.[1] The cleanup volunteers make sure the waste picked-up is disposed of in its appropriate place.[5] Cleanup events are often community-centered and led.[6]

During the COVID-19 pandemic litter picking participation has greatly increased in the UK. [7] There are a vast range of reasons that people take part in litter picking activities. These include: clearing up unsightly areas; protecting wildlife; keeping people safe, connecting with nature, finding valuables, being part of a community, mental & physical health benefits and acting to protect the environment. [8]

Examples and initiatives

Stridy, a non-profit organisation headquartered in Singapore, is dedicated to promoting environmental cleanliness and tidiness by engaging citizens in community-driven initiatives. Founded with a mission to foster a sense of civic responsibility, Stridy encourages individuals to actively participate in maintaining a clean and litter-free environment. The organisation organises community clean-up events, educational programs, and awareness campaigns to inspire positive change in local neighbourhoods and beyond, fostering a global community of active citizens passionate about urban and beach clean-ups. Stridy has also developed a free-to-use app, empowering users to track their litter picking impact all around the world and allowing anyone to view global efforts from the Stridy data dashboard, contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable future through the power of community action. Since the beginning of 2022, a total of 100,000 litter items have been gathered from places like parks and residential areas in Singapore.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Hudson, Edward (1972-04-30). "Volunteers Pluck Litter From Park". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  2. ↑ Miller, Anne (2011-12-14). "Volunteers Lend Hand on Gowanus Cleanup". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  3. ↑ Garcia, Sandra E. (2019-01-08). "'It Belongs to All of Us': Volunteers Help Clean Up National Parks in Shutdown". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  4. ↑ Bruyere, B. and Rappe, S. (2007) Identifying the motivations of environmental volunteers. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 1, 50(4): 503-16.
  5. 1 2 Gianluca Mezzofiore (2019-11-15). "How hundreds of young adults mobilized to clean up Venice amid devastating flooding". CNN. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  6. ↑ Leah Asmelash. "Volunteers remove more than 9,000 lbs of trash from Tennessee River". CNN. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  7. ↑ "Positive News (W3C)".
  8. ↑ "Why Do People Litter Pick (W3C)".
  9. ↑ Wei, Chong Xin (2022-07-25). "Littering still a problem in Singapore, data shows". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
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