On Friday, 20th September, millions of people across the globe will unite to tackle one of our planet’s biggest challenges: pollution. World Cleanup Day unites communities and organisations to combat litter, pollution, and waste mismanagement.
What is World Cleanup Day?
World Cleanup Day, held annually in September, brings together millions of volunteers from over 180 countries to fight the global waste crisis. The day is dedicated to removing litter and mismanaged waste from natural environments like beaches, forests, rivers, and urban spaces.
It’s not just about picking up rubbish —it’s about creating awareness of sustainable waste management and encouraging people to take responsibility for keeping the planet clean. Communities worldwide come together to make their areas cleaner, raising awareness of the importance of reducing waste and embracing more sustainable habits.
Why Was World Cleanup Day Created?
World Cleanup Day was launched in 2008 by the Let’s Do It Foundation, following a successful grassroots initiative in Estonia, where 50,000 volunteers cleaned up 10,000 tonnes of waste in one day. The idea quickly spread globally as it showcased how collective action can tackle large-scale environmental problems.
The movement was created to inspire action on a global scale, urging individuals, communities, and governments to address the waste pollution crisis. Its mission is to foster better waste management systems and promote long-term environmental sustainability through collective community engagement.
How Big is the Pollution Problem?
Pollution is one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues. Every year, around 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste is produced globally, and about 33% of it is not managed properly. The most concerning form of pollution is plastic waste, with 8 million tonnes of plastic entering our oceans annually.
Imagine standing on a beach, surrounded by a sea of plastic bottles, bags, and packaging. Each piece you see might take hundreds of years to break down. This pollution doesn’t just blight our landscapes —it harms marine life. Turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, and fish ingest tiny plastic particles, which means we ingest about 11k microplastics a year, simply eating seafood.
Without significant intervention, it’s estimated that by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans by weight. And it’s not just water bodies—our air is also under threat. Air pollution affects 99% of the global population and leads to millions of premature deaths from diseases linked to poor air quality. That’s nearly all of us breathing in harmful toxins every single day!
World Cleanup Day highlights the urgency of this crisis, reminding us that small actions, like reducing plastic use or joining cleanups, can make a big difference.
How You Can Get Involved
There are multiple ways to participate in World Cleanup Day—whether you’re joining a local community effort or going solo.
Join a Local Cleanup
Find a Local Event
The easiest way to get involved is by joining a locally organised clean-up event. Head to the World Cleanup Day official website to find a cleanup near you.
Why Local Cleanups Matter
- Remove litter: Think about your favourite park or beach litter, or plastic free—cleaner, safer, and more enjoyable.
- Support wildlife: Every piece of rubbish you pick up could save an animal’s life—removing rubbish ensures ecosystems can thrive.
- Build community: Working together to clean up your local area helps you meet like-minded people and strengthens your sense of responsibility for the environment.
Get Your Company Involved
- Ask your ESG or HR Team about doing something as a Team activity to help your local community.
- Use one of your “Charity Days” to take the day off to work locally.
- Remember to think about World Cleanup Day as a catalyst to think about doing it more regularly.
- Give your staff SkootLife to stop ocean plastic every month as a benefit.
Raise Awareness
Local cleanups are also an opportunity to spread awareness about pollution and encourage others to adopt eco-friendly habits. Many events include workshops and talks on sustainable living, waste reduction, and recycling.
Prefer Going Solo?
If you prefer to act independently, there are still meaningful ways to make an impact.
Take Action Solo
Imagine taking a walk around your neighbourhood, bag in hand, collecting litter. Not only do you help clean up your area, but by walking or cycling instead of driving, you’re also reducing your carbon footprint. Plus, it’s a free and easy way to improve your community.
Adopt Sustainable Habits
Small changes in your daily routine can make a huge difference for the environment:
- Use reusable shopping bags: Think about how many plastic bags you’ve used just in the past month. By switching to reusable bags, you could prevent hundreds of single-use plastics from ending up in landfills each year, which take years to decompose..
- Compost food scraps: 10% of all CO2 emissions comes from Food Waste. releasing harmful methane gases into the air. By composting your food scraps instead, you’re not only reducing landfill waste but also enriching your garden soil with natural nutrients.
- Recycle correctly: “Wish-cycling” is where you throw something into the recycling bin and hoped for the best? Make sure you’re following your local recycling guidelines so your efforts don’t go to waste. Proper recycling keeps tons of waste out of landfills.
- Buy second-hand clothes: Fast fashion is one of the biggest polluters today. Every time you choose to buy second-hand, you’re reducing the demand for the fast fashion industry and giving clothes a second life, all while saving resources.
- Go digital: How many paper tickets, documents, or receipts have you received this year? Going digital reduces paper waste, saving trees and reducing pollution.
Making World Cleanup Day a Part of Your Life
World Cleanup Day is a powerful reminder of our responsibility to protect the planet, but the action doesn’t need to stop after the day ends. By adopting sustainable habits and committing to regular cleanups, we can all contribute to a future where everyone takes responsibility for their environmental impact.
The Impact of World Cleanup Day on Plastic Waste
Plastic pollution is a massive issue, but World Cleanup Day is making a difference. Think of all the single-use plastic bottles, bags, and containers you encounter in a single day. Now imagine millions of them floating in our oceans and washing up on our shores. Each piece has the potential to harm wildlife or end up in the food chain.
There is a rubbish truck dumped into our waterways every minute. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is now 3 times the size of France.
With global clean-up efforts, and companies like SkootEco and Plastic Bank we’re removing these harmful plastics and preventing them from continuing to damage our ecosystems.
Our Efforts at SkootEco
At SKOOT Eco, World Cleanup Day a great platform to highlight how climate change and pollution are inextricably intertwined, We’ve successfully helped prevent and recover 271,365 plastic bottles from water bodies and coastlines in countries like Egypt, Cameroon, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, and the Philippines.
But we don’t stop there. Through our high quality humanitarian carbon programs, we’ve funded the planting of over 1,600,000 trees, projects like the Peruvian Food Waste and Bangladesh Clean Water Projects, helping to reduce and remove carbon emissions and restore ecosystems. World Cleanup Day is a key opportunity for us to continue this vital work and inspire others to join us in creating a climate-positive world.
Join Us in Making a Difference on World Cleanup Day 2024!
World Cleanup Day is more than just an event; it’s a global movement that encourages everyone to play a role in creating a cleaner, greener planet. Whether you join a local cleanup or take action on your own, every effort counts. Together, we can make a lasting impact.
So why not join our SkootEco community, with programmes like SkootLife for staff, or personal programmes, planting trees and stopping ocean plastic, or wider projects such as EcoStays and EcoDining.
