Tens of thousands of volunteers clean up litter on National Clean-up Day

Tens of thousands of volunteers will take to the streets on Saturday to remove litter during the 22nd edition of National Clean-up Day. A total of 2525 clean-up campaigns are planned throughout the Netherlands. In addition to individual citizens, many sports clubs, schools, companies, associations, municipalities, and some holiday parks have also pledged their support.

38,125 people and organizations have registered in advance for the nationwide action but the organization expects the number of participants to increase over the course of the day.

The National Clean-up Day is organized by Supporter van Schoon, an initiative of Verpact, which previously included Nederland Schoon. Last year, over 37,000 volunteers signed up for the day of action in advance, but in the end, there were around 50,000 participants because many people signed up at the last minute.

The banks of the Maas River in the Netherlands will also be cleaned up on Saturday as part of the Maas River Cleanup. According to the organization, more than 250 cleanup actions are planned, which will be carried out by more than 10,000 volunteers. This is the first time that this day of action, which originated in Limburg, has covered the entire Dutch section of the Maas. The organization assumes that due to the high water level of the Maas in recent months, "extreme amounts of waste" will be found on the banks.

The organization's goal is to prevent littering for good. By 2050, for example, it aims to make the Netherlands 100% litter-free. The organization wants to achieve this through various measures, including recycling campaigns and clean-up actions.