Tens of thousands of helpers took part in the 12th national IGSU Clean-Up Day. During numerous clean-up campaigns in all parts of Switzerland, they collected several tons of litter.
Littering is a nuisance, costs a lot and harms the environment. Cleaning up litter, on the other hand, lifts the spirits. Tens of thousands of helpers who collected and correctly disposed of litter lying around as part of the national IGSU Clean-Up Day have experienced this. Grandparents cleaned up wooded areas with their grandchildren, employees and their teams cleared litter from the company environment and municipal employees worked side by side with schoolchildren to keep the streets clean. Entertaining supporting programs were also put together during numerous clean-up campaigns. «The organizers of the campaigns and the many young and old helpers have shown what is possible if you don't lose your sense of humour», says IGSU Managing Director Nora Steimer. «They have not been discouraged by littering, but have actively campaigned for a clean environment. That deserves great recognition.»
Cities and municipalities show creativity
Not only humour, but also creativity was used by the organizers, especially cities and municipalities. Köniz BE, for example, enlisted the help of animals: to encourage the population to get involved, they were accompanied by alpacas during the clean-up campaign. The Grenchen SO building authority also knows how to motivate helpers: After collecting the garbage, they were treated to a snack, a concert with instruments made from recycled materials and an exhibition of winning posters from a school competition. Volketswil ZH organized its clean-up campaign under the motto «Spogomi». This sustainable sport was invented in Japan 15 years ago. Teams of three compete against each other to find and separate as much waste as possible in a limited amount of time. And Vully-les-Lacs VD got the campaign off to a good start with croissants and coffee, followed by an aperitif.
Schools put their money where their mouth is
A particularly large number of schoolchildren were also out and about: the Hinterbüel school in Wangen bei Olten SO had already prepared around 150 children in advance for the topic of littering. They were then able to put what they had learned into practice: The collected waste items were recorded in a log. This resulted in signs that now raise awareness of the problem of littering at the places where it is found. The Instituto scolastico di Bellinzona TI carried out its clean-up campaign as part of its own biodiversity project. The pupils of the elementary school in Münchenstein BL were trained at various posts on topics such as food waste, littering and waste disposal. The posts were supervised by municipal employees, association members and company employees. And the elementary school in the Murten FR region used Clean-Up Day to network pupils from different locations in a joint campaign by mixing German and French-speaking children into groups.
Tourism industry pitches in
The IGSU Clean-Up Day was once again supported by numerous companies this year. Long-standing Clean-Up-Day participants such as McDonald's Switzerland, WWF, SBB, Johnson & Johnson and UBS were committed to a clean environment. The tourism industry also showed particular commitment this year: Lufthansa Aviation Training employees met at Balsberg ZH and collected waste from there to their respective locations. Hotelplan Suisse made the area around its headquarters in Glattbrugg ZH shine. Hotel employees also made sure Switzerland was clean again this year: the team from the Hotel Schweizerhof Zurich cleaned up Platzspitzpark and the banks of the River Limmat. The staff of Zurich's Dolder Hotel AG got together for a forest clean-up, while the employees of the Mövenpick Hotel Zurich Airport in Glattbrugg ZH made a contribution to sustainability. Employees from the Sunstar Hotels in Brissago TI, Etoy VD and Liestal BL also got involved.
Movement against littering
The national IGSU Clean-Up Day is part of World Cleanup Day, which takes place on September 20 this year. It has been organized by the IGSU, the Swiss center of excellence against littering, since 2013 and mobilizes tens of thousands of helpers every year. This year, an estimated 60'000 people will collect several tons of waste and recyclables at around 750 events. Comedian Michael Elsener is also taking part: the patron of this year's IGSU Clean-Up Day collected waste together with the Zurich-Affoltern neighborhood association. «I present complex issues in a simple and entertaining way. While it takes me about eight minutes to explain voting proposals, the littering problem can be explained in five words: litter belongs in the bin», he emphasizes. The campaign day was supported by the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, the Swiss Association for Communal Infrastructure SVKI and the Pusch Foundation.
