World Cleanup Day 2019 Engages More Volunteers than Ever

World Cleanup Day 2019 was coordinated by Let’s Do It Kosovo. This team has been a model child of the movement since 2010. Last year they mobilized 195 000 people – 14% of the population – for the event. Their main focus this year was on setting up the global headquarters for the day in Pristina. Coordinator and host of this year’s World Cleanup Day Luan Hasanaj noted: “Hosting the World Cleanup Day 2019, in addition to being a valuable experience, has helped to enhance the credibility of Let’s Do It Kosovo. The biggest challenges – communicating with the network and securing funds – were overcome with excellent teamwork.”

In Kenya, 23 000 people came out to clean up their country, slightly more than last year. Government institutions showed more interest this year and the number of young people who volunteered in the action was impressive. National Coordinator of the cleanup in Kenya Christine Sayo said: “It’s a story worth telling because many young people are not given enough credit for the work they do. There is a tendency to look down on youth and youth-led initiatives and label them as troublemakers and idlers. I am particularly touched by the young women leaders who on top of the challenges of being young had to overcome societal patriarchal barriers to make this day a success.”

“World Cleanup Day is a great success only because of the endless devotion and commitment of country leaders and volunteers around the world,” said Merili Vares, Executive Director of Let’s Do It Foundation. Last year, when the biggest global civic action to clean the world from waste was undertaken for the first time, Let’s Do It Foundation team was busy coordinating it. This year the team experienced the effort as volunteers, joining a cleanup in Estonia and helping in the local call center. Vares added: “While the number of participants in the action this year was even bigger than last year, we can state that “trash blindness” is decreasing: World Cleanup Day is curing people of that condition.” People noticing the mismanaged waste problem around them encourages mavericks among decision-makers and companies to take ambitious steps to keep their countries clean. [1]

The next World Cleanup Day will be held on 19 September 2020.

See the constantly updated gallery of 2019 World Cleanup Day here.

Notes for Editors:

Let’s Do It Foundation aims to unite the global community, raise awareness and implement true change to achieve its final goal – a clean and healthy planet. The story of the Foundation began in Estonia in 2008 when 50,000 people united to clean up the entire country in just five hours. In 2011, Let’s Do It Foundation was established to spread this model to clean one country in one day. In 2019, Let’s Do It Foundation, together with other World Cleanup Day organising teams, formally established a membership organization “Let’s Do It World NGO”. One of its task is to choose the main organizing country team for the following year’s cleanup day.

[1] Keep It Clean Plan is a set of guidelines describing overall principles and vision for the management of resources and waste, together with step-by-step solutions and examples of best practice. It will act as a general support document for all communities wanting to improve their waste situation, and who are willing to develop their own local/national/regional strategy.

For more information, please contact:

Kadi Kenk, Member of the management Board, Let’s Do It Foundation, [email protected], phone +372 583 29 472

Merili Vares, Executive Director, Let’s Do It Foundation, [email protected], phone +372 51 050 56