Brussels-City wants 1,000 citizens to take part in World Clean-up Day

Brussels-City is hoping that 1,000 of its citizens will take part in World Clean-up Day, which is this coming Saturday, 18 September. The municipality will even provide equipment to groups setting out to clean-up a specific area.

The annual World Clean-up Day sees people picking up trash in their neighbourhoods or local parks or during collective activities hosted by all kinds of organisations. Now in its 13th year, it started in Estonia and grew from there to become the biggest collective civic action in the world.

The Brussels-City councillor responsible for waste management and green space, Zoubida Jellab, would like to see at least 1,000 people in his municipality take part in one way or another, such as scrubbing their stoops, picking up trash in their streets or parks or sweeping squares and pavements.

Zero waste

Jellab is encouraging friends, family and neighbours to come together to form clean-up groups to be able to reach a wider area. “It’s a day that really shows us the amount of rubbish we produce and to encourage us to produce less of it,” says Jellab. “We should aim for zero waste. Every little bit helps; everyone can do something to improve the community.”

The city is also opening up its 13 cleaning depots to the public and will pair volunteers with street cleaners. From 11.00 to 14.00, you will head out to see how they do their jobs every day. The city will also help you dispose of the waste you gather.

Clean-up projects are taking place all over Belgium on Saturday, including the big River Clean-up. The Belgium-based organisation that works to keep Europe’s rivers free of plastic and other waste, River Clean-up hosts special initiatives from 17 to 26 September. This includes helping clean up flood-ravaged parts of Liège province.

Photo courtesy Brussels-City/Facebook