World Cleanup Day is a world-changing idea with a humble beginning. The idea to collectively clean a country started in the small nation of Estonia in 2008 when 50,000 people came together to clean up the entire country in just five hours.
This civic action was carried out by volunteers and saved the government millions of Euros. The organisers named the action Let’s Do It!, which perfectly describes the simple logic and ethos of the movement. The success of the Estonian cleanup spread across the world and now over 130 countries organise cleanups based on the same model. The Let’s Do It! movement has grown to be the biggest organisation of its kind in the world. As Estonia celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, World Cleanup Day 2018 is also the country’s gift to the world.
On 15 September, all these countries, volunteers and partners will come together to rid the world of trash and clean up mismanaged waste. A powerful ‘green wave’ of cleanups will start in New Zealand and end in Hawaii 36 hours later with millions of people working towards one goal: a cleaner world. But, Let’s Do It! has never been only about cleaning up waste. The organisation also aims to mobilise the global community to raise awareness and implement lasting changes to achieve a cleaner and healthier planet for all.