About 50,000 volunteers took part in the 21st edition of the National Cleanup Day on Saturday. As much litter as possible has been cleaned up in thousands of places across the country. This also happened along the banks of the Maas, where the Maas Cleanup was organized.
It is difficult to say how much waste was collected during the National Cleaning Day, Nederland Schoon director Ingrid Goethart. “We estimate that on average, each volunteer collects a garbage bag full of rubbish.” This year, for the first time, the collected waste is no longer registered. “We heard from many people that they found it difficult to pass on how much they had collected, so we stopped.”
At the last minute, many more participants had registered. Goethart suspects that this has to do with the weather. “The weather was fantastic today, so the threshold to participate is a lot lower.”
She says she is “very proud”, but adds a caveat. “It is very nice that they are being cleaned up, but people also need to become aware of the mess they leave behind in nature.” Especially a lot of cans and cigarette butts were cleaned up. “They are a thorn in our side,” says Goethart.
Dog poop bags were also found a lot. “If people don’t find a trash can quickly enough, they leave those bags on the roadside.” A bright spot: significantly fewer face masks were left behind in nature this year than last year.
200,000 kilos of waste collected along the Maas and tributaries
About 10,000 volunteers participated in the Maas Cleanup, which also took place on Saturday. They have removed an estimated 200,000 kilos of waste along the banks of the Maas and its tributaries in Limburg.
Maas Cleanup is a movement that is committed to keeping the banks of the rivers in Limburg clean. Over the years, the initiative has grown into a community of volunteers, companies and organizations that are committed to a more sustainable world.
Waste along the rivers threatens biodiversity and the quality of our (drinking) water, according to the organization. “It is the fourth year that we are doing this, and the enthusiasm remains undiminished,” said chairman Huub Waterval of Maas Cleanup.
