There is something incredibly satisfying about picking up a piece of rubbish from somewhere it doesn’t belong, or at least, I think so. A plastic bottle in the grass, a crisp packet caught beneath a hedge, a takeaway container left beside a park bench.
You pick it up, put it in the right bin and, immediately, that little patch of the world looks better than it did a few seconds ago. However, whenever I do this, another thought follows: Why did we create so much stuff designed to become rubbish in the first place?
That question feels particularly relevant as World Cleanup Day returns on 20th September this year. The global movement brings millions of people together to tackle waste and pollution. Yet, perhaps the most interesting conversation begins before we reach for the litter picker.
WHAT IS WORLD CLEANUP DAY?
World Cleanup Day has its roots in a remarkable community effort in Estonia. In 2008, around 50,000 people came together to clean the entire country in just five hours. From there, the idea grew into an international movement.
World Cleanup Day launched globally in 2018. Since then, more than 100 million people across countries and territories around the world have taken part. In 2023, the United Nations General Assembly officially proclaimed 20 September as World Cleanup Day.
I love the simplicity of its origins. People saw a problem, gathered together and did something about it. However, the movement now asks us to think beyond the rubbish we can see…
HOW BIG IS OUR WASTE PROBLEM?
Globally, we produce billions of tonnes of municipal waste. Moreover, the problem is growing. The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that municipal solid waste could rise from around 2.1 billion tonnes in 2023 to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. Those numbers are almost too large to imagine.
So, instead, think about your own bin. The food packaging from last night’s dinner, a bottle of shampoo, a delivery box, an empty yoghurt pot, and perhaps some food that didn’t get eaten in time. Waste doesn’t begin when we put something in the bin.
It begins much earlier. It starts when manufacturers design products and packaging. It continues when shops decide what to stock and when we decide what to buy. Therefore, if we really want to tackle waste, we need to look further upstream.
Related – Happy Zero Waste Week! – SUZSTAINABLE
FROM CLEAN PLATES TO CLEAN CITIES
This year, that conversation feels particularly relevant. The 2026 World Cleanup Day theme is From Clean Plates to Clean Cities, with a focus on food waste. Food might not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think about litter and pollution. However, food waste creates an enormous environmental impact.
More than one billion meals are wasted globally every day. Meanwhile, food loss and waste contributes an estimated 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. And when we throw away food, we aren’t only wasting the food itself.
Imagine throwing one tomato into the bin. It seems so insignificant. Yet that tomato needed soil and water to grow. Someone planted, tended and harvested it. It may then have travelled to a packing facility before continuing to a supermarket. Along the way, refrigeration may have kept it fresh. Transport required fuel. Packaging may have protected it.
So, when the tomato goes uneaten, all those resources go to waste too. Suddenly, cleaning up our food system feels every bit as important as cleaning our streets.
WHAT IF OUR CLEANUP STARTED IN THE KITCHEN?
Perhaps one way to mark World Cleanup Day is to begin somewhere unexpected: the fridge. Take everything out and see what’s actually there. I think most of us have experienced that moment when we discover half a courgette or an unopened yoghurt hiding behind everything else. Then, plan around what needs using first.
Vegetables can become soup. Herbs can turn into pesto. Stale bread makes brilliant croutons or breadcrumbs. Overripe fruit can go into smoothies, cakes or compotes. Meanwhile, freeze food before it reaches the point of no return.
These are tiny actions. However, they change our relationship with waste because we’re preventing it rather than managing it afterwards.
The same principle applies beyond our kitchens. We’ve become very good at discussing which bin something belongs in. Of course, recycling matters. Yet perhaps we should spend just as much time asking whether we needed the item in the first place: Could we refill something instead? Repair it? Borrow it? Buy it secondhand? Use something we already own?
PLASTIC FREE JULY
Sometimes the most sustainable product is simply the one already sitting in our cupboard. I explored this idea during Plastic Free July too. Avoiding every piece of waste is virtually impossible. However, reducing unnecessary consumption can stop waste before recycling or disposal even becomes necessary.
AND YES, LET'S STILL PICK UP THE RUBBISH
None of this takes away from the importance of the cleanups at the heart of World Cleanup Day. In fact, I’d encourage anyone who can to get involved in your local area…
Look for a local community cleanup, organise a litter pick with friends or neighbours, join a beach or river cleanup, or, alternatively, take gloves and a rubbish bag on your usual weekend walk. You don’t need hundreds of volunteers for your effort to matter.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
If reading this has made you want to do something rather than simply think about the problem, the good news is that getting involved in World Cleanup Day doesn’t have to be complicated.
join an organised cleanup
The simplest option is to join an organised cleanup. World Cleanup Day has a global cleanup map where you can look for an event happening near you. It could be a community litter pick, a beach or river cleanup, or another local event bringing people together to tackle waste.
Organise your own cleanup
Don’t see anything happening nearby? Organise your own. You can register a cleanup event through the World Cleanup Day website, where it can be added to the global map and shared with others. The organisation also provides a toolbox and marketing materials to help organisers plan and promote their event.
individual cleanups
And you don’t necessarily need a big group. World Cleanup Day also encourages individual cleanups. Grab some gloves and a rubbish bag and take a look at the area around you. You could involve friends, family or neighbours, and your contribution can still count towards the global total when registered.
REFILL AND REPAIR
Of course, I’d also add one more kind of cleanup to the list: the one that prevents the rubbish from existing in the first place.
Before buying something, ask whether you actually need it. Use up the food already in your fridge. Refill instead of replacing. Repair instead of throwing away. Borrow or buy secondhand where you can.
Related – Refill & Re-Use In The UK – Cutting Back On Pointless Packaging – SUZSTAINABLE
AND FINALLY....
If we can prevent some of that litter from being created in the first place, perhaps that’s where the bigger change begins. If you want to take part this World Cleanup Day, you can find a local cleanup or register your own event through the official World Cleanup Day website.