Around 400 Brussels residents rolled up their sleeves and paddled their canoes through the Willebroek canal in a large-scale clean-up operation to mark World Cleanup Day this Friday.
Millions of volunteers participated in similar events in 30 countries worldwide.
World Cleanup Day is an annual event organised for the past six years by River Cleanup, a global network organisation that aims to make rivers cleaner. "A day like this is much needed. Despite numerous initiatives, pollution continues to rise, with about ten million kilos of plastic ending up in nature and in our rivers every day," said the organisation.
The clean-up kicked off in Brussels on Friday morning, where around 400 volunteers, including schoolchildren, local business employees and citizens, mobilised to clean the Willebroek Canal, as well as its quays and neighbouring streets.
The launch in Brussels is just the beginning of a much broader initiative. Over the weekend, River Cleanup hopes to mobilise over 1,000 volunteers for major clean-up actions in Antwerp, Liège, Ghent, Namur and Tamise, in addition to some smaller citizen initiatives.
At the same time, River Cleanup is organising extensive clean-up operations in 30 other countries around the world.
"Through our actions, we want to make people aware of their own impact. Avoiding disposable plastic is the best way of preserving nature and preventing negative effects on our health," concluded founder of River Cleanup Thomas De Groote.
