Car Free Sunday not only gave pedestrians and cyclists a chance to take in the charms of the capital's streets without the nuisance of motorised vehicles, it also provided a prime opportunity for litter to be collected by some 250 volunteers.
Now in its second iteration, Clean Walk took to Brussels' streets yesterday afternoon and collected 65,000 cigarette butts as well as filling 30 rubbish bags with litter. This figure is up from last year when 30,000 butts were collected by almost 200 volunteers.
Clean Walk is a platform that aims to do just what it says and mobilises residents to take action against litter. Brussels has something of a reputation for being dirty and there certainly seems no shortage of litter for such conscientious volunteers to collect.
Related News
- 5,000 people wanted to pick up litter in Belgium
- Support grows for can and plastic bottle deposit scheme
- Biggest polluter of Brussels canal? Coca Cola
A similar initiative called 'Plogging' has 3000 active members in Belgium who collect litter when walking or jogging from approximately 12,000km of roads and paths each month.
Cigarette butts are notoriously toxic and do not decompose, causing long-lasting harm to the environment and often finding their way into oceans.
Littering in Brussels (such as discarding cigarette butts on the street) carries a fine of up to €200. Yet this seems to be rarely imposed.
The Brussels Times
