WORLD CLEANUP DAY - RHINE-RUHR 2025 TAKES ACTION!

On 20 September 2024, the first Rhine-Ruhr 2025 Cleanup in cooperation with World Cleanup Day Germany took place right infront of the office of the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games organising committee in Düsseldorf. On the occasion of the International Day of University Sport (IDUS) and World Cleanup Day, 30 engaged participants came together in the afternoon to set a strong anti-littering signal and take action for a clean, plastic-free planet. The initiative also took place as part of the Deutschen Aktionstage Nachhaltigkeit. 

The Environment Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Oliver Krischer, and Humberto Gregorio, representative of World Cleanup Day Germany, provided active support. Together, around 35 bags of rubbish were collected - from tiny pieces of waste such as cigarette butts (the most common cleanup find worldwide and toxic to water bodies) and plastic packaging to curious finds such as cuddly toys and an old trolley case that turned up among green bushes. The clean-up campaign not only made a visible contribution to cleanliness on the doorstep of offices in Düsseldorf, but also sent out a signal about the importance of thinking and acting in a circular economy and plastic-free manner.  

Environment Minister Oliver Krischer also emphasised the appeal of such ecological commitment:  

‘It's totally important that companies and as many organisations as possible use World Cleanup Day and other opportunities to collect waste in the countryside. It's important from a practical point of view because the rubbish disappears from the landscape. But it is also important symbolically, because everyone who does it, everyone who watches, everyone who sees this pile of rubbish behind me that has only been collected in a small radius, realises and makes clear how far away we still are from sustainability and the circular economy.’  

Humberto Gregorio from World Cleanup Day is not surprised by the high volume of waste:  

‘I'm not surprised that so much rubbish has accumulated here. We've known about the problem for years, ever since we started in 2018. We are the world's largest citizen movement. Last year we had 19 million participants and this year there will probably be even more. In Germany alone, we will definitely break the 400 thousand mark.’ 

We would like to thank all participants and hard-working collectors for their great support at the first Rhine-Ruhr 2025 Cleanup!