Kenyans will be among millions of people in over 150 countries who will on Saturday September 21 stand up against global waste pollution by cleaning up cities, towns, community neighborhoods, estates, parks, rivers, forests, and beaches to mark the “World Clean-up day”.
The World Cleanup Day is organised by Let’s Do It World (LDIW) – a global movement that supports and connects a new generation of community leaders, who are ready to act together to find lasting solutions for the waste problem in their countries.
Let’s Do It Kenya in partnership with various Counties, government agencies, private sector, Community Based Organisations, youth groups and other
interest groups will lead communities in clearing trash scattered around public facilities, estates, market areas, health centres, schools, major highways and neighbourhoods.
The Country Leader for World Cleanup Day in Kenya, Christine Sayo ahead of the day tomorrow said the historic civic engagement inspires over 100,000 enthusiastic volunteers from across the country who will participate.
“We will be cleaning our immediate and biophysical environment. As we approach the exercise with overwhelming excitement, we should know that the cleanup is not only a sweeper and a groundbreaker but a unifier of people from diverse backgrounds against trash and climate change impacts,” she said.
Promoting the campaign under the hashtag #KeepItClean”, Sayo said cleaning cities, towns, estates, beaches and public areas sounds like something that has been done before but clarified that the mission is not just about cleaning but about actually stopping the problem once and for all.
“Humans are the only species who have managed to generate something that cannot be used by the rest of the ecosystem – waste.”
Heidi Solba, the President and Head of Network of the Let’s Do It World, explained that 80 percent of the plastic that floats today in our oceans has come from land, so there is need to start there, working hand-in- hand with local communities.
“The overall goal of World Clean-up Day is not only to pick up waste, but to also raise awareness of the severity of the global climate crisis, drive behaviour changes, and encourage companies, organisations, and governments to adopt more sustainable environmental policies.”
To be part of Kenya’s World Clean Up Day effort, Solba said that their regional networks with the County Coordinators in all the counties will be participating in the cleaning exercise.
“The cleanup events are a wonderful way to create immediate change, while also introducing the mismanaged waste issue and inspiring politicians, businesses and communities to implement steps toward lasting change,” said Solba who urged all to join in their regions to participate in the activity.
This year’s commemoration will see thousands of communities act together as one, creating a powerful ‘green wave’ of cleanups spanning from New Zealand to Hawaii and lasting for 36 hours.
Last year in Kenya, the day was marked alongside the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) which has been held consistently for the past 30 years with the common goal of collecting and documenting the trash littering the coastline.
By Wangari Ndirangu
