National Cleanup Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, How to Participate

On the third Saturday of September, groups across the nation commemorate National CleanUp Day by reducing litter and cleaning their local communities, parks, trails, beaches, and open spaces.

Since 2017, National CleanUp Day has encouraged Americans to maintain a clean environment and volunteer their time to collect garbage and beautify neighbourhoods and green spaces. In conjunction with World CleanUp Day, the event attracts nearly 2 million volunteers in the United States alone. September is filled with events, including National Public Lands Day. Ultimately, part of being a good citizen is maintaining our communities clean!

The background of National Cleanup Day

The National CleanUp Day campaign, launched in 2017 by Steve Jewett and Bill Willoughby, poses a simple query. “What would the world be like if everyone picked up at least one piece of litter?” On the third Saturday of September, everyone is encouraged to do so. By promoting public participation in clean-up events, the organisation fosters civic responsibility and strengthens neighbourhood ties.

Cleanup events are held in all 50 states and U.S. territories, ranging from local cleanups with groups of neighbours to significant sponsored events with thousands of attendees. Anyone can create and submit an event to the national website.

The debris problem has increased at an alarming rate due to the invention of plastics, the rise of fast food, and single-use, disposable packaging. Approximately 14 billion pounds of garbage enters the oceans annually. Due to the fact that many plastics require hundreds of years to degrade, these foreign objects now outnumber marine organisms such as phytoplankton and zooplankton.

National CleanUp Day seeks to promote a clean outdoor environment for all, raise awareness about the problems associated with littering, and mobilise resources for beautifying and enhancing public spaces, such as national parks. Hundreds of community-based organisations and volunteer groups avidly support the campaign by organising events, recruiting volunteers, and disseminating information to the general public.

The organisation believes that access to clean, secure outdoor spaces enhances our quality of life. Participating in the cleanup of your neighbourhood and open spaces can help everyone create a clearer, greener, and healthier world. Parkesine, a material derived from cellulose, is presented at the Great International Exhibition in London. Tupper invented Tupperware, revolutionising kitchen stowage and sales. The well-known anti-littering campaign Keep America Beautiful is inaugurated — by a consortium of packaging industry titans! Environmental activists criticise the campaign for concentrating on the actions of individual consumers and shifting the blame away from the corporations that created and marketed disposable packaging. National CleanUp Day is established, rapidly gaining associate organisations such as Earth Day, the Waterkeeper Alliance, and the National Parks Conservation Association.

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HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL CLEANUP DAY

Participate in a cleansing event.

The website for National CleanUp Day lists hundreds of nationwide events. Locate one in your area and participate.

Create your own occasion

If you cannot locate a community cleanup event, get together with some friends and organise your own! Submit it to the website in order for your neighbours to locate you.

Reduce your refuse production.

Keeping our communities litter-free requires more than just picking up trash. Try to produce less waste by reducing your consumption and, whenever practicable, switching to reusable packaging.

DANGEROUS FACTS REGARDING LITTE

There are as much as 150 million tonnes of plastic in our oceans, which is equivalent to 25 million elephants! Marine pollution is a whale of a problem. Marine animals are injured or killed when they ingest or become entangled in plastics and other debris.

We throw away more than 4,500 billion cigarette butts each year and although they may seem tiny and harmless, cigarette butts contain non-biodegradable plastics and toxins that damage the environment.

Fast food uses impermanent packaging designed for people in a hurry, so it makes sense that fast food consumers are among the worst litterers.

In 1979, when pieces of the Skylab space station descended to earth, Australian authorities fined NASA $400 for littering. Even from outer space, no one can get away with pollution.

The majority of commercial chewing gum contains non-degradable synthetic plastics. Chewing gum is the second most prevalent form of waste in cities, after cigarette ashtrays.

NATIONAL CLEANUP DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2022	September 17	Saturday
2023	September 16	Saturday
2024	September 21	Saturday
2025	September 20	Saturday
2026	September 19	Saturday
2027	September 18	Saturday