Every year millions of people around the world take part in an event called World Cleanup Day. This day is all about working together to tackle the global waste crisis. That means people in countries around the world clean up trash, spread awareness, and inspire others to think about the environment.
On World Cleanup Day, volunteers work together to pick up litter from cities, parks, forests, rivers, and beaches. Some people focus on recycling. Others plant trees or teach their communities about different ways to reduce waste. They all have the same goal: taking care of the Earth to keep plants, animals, and people healthy.
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Estonia is a country in northeastern Europe along the Baltic Sea.
World Cleanup Day started almost 20 years ago in a small country in Europe called Estonia. On May 3, 2008, 50,000 people worked together to clean up trash. The idea quickly caught on and people in countries across the globe held similar one-day cleanups, with more volunteers showing up to help each year. In 2024, World Cleanup Day became an official event on the United Nations calendar. The global event now takes place every year on September 20. It has become one of the largest civic movements in the world. In 2024, 114 million people from 211 countries and territories took part in World Cleanup Day.
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You can recycle by rinsing out cans, bottles, and other recyclable materials and disposing of them in the correct containers.
The event is expected to be even bigger in 2025. If you are interested in getting involved, you can find a list of activities planned near you at the World Cleanup Day website: worldcleanupday.org. There’s also a list of events planned in the United States at nationalcleanupday.org.
Even if you can’t join an official event, there are lots of ways to get involved. For example, you can pick up trash in your neighborhood or at a local park. You can reduce your own waste by reusing and recycling items. You can also learn more about keeping the Earth clean and healthy and then share what you learned with friends and family.
World Cleanup Day is about more than picking up trash. It’s about working together! When people across the globe join together, it sends a powerful message. We all share this planet, and we share the responsibility for taking care of it, too.
What Do You Think? How would you like to take part in World Cleanup Day this year?
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