In this interview with Heidi Solba, President and Head of LDIW Global Network, and Anett Linno, CEO of LDIW, we delve into the significance of World Cleanup Day 2024. Hear about plans for the inaugural event to mark World Cleanup Day’s first ever inclusion in the UN International Calendar, the global importance of the WCD 2024 host country Norway’s focus on Arctic region pollution, and the urgent need for international cooperation to protect these fragile ecosystems from plastic pollution.
Heidi Solba: Friday 20 September 2024 will be our seventh World Cleanup Day. On this day, we’re expecting the whole world to come together and create a wave of global actions, across all levels of society, and especially at the individual level – with individuals coming out in their millions to clean up our environments. We want the day to be a time for all of us to pause, explore the nature around us, reflect on our purpose and deeply consider how we’re living with regards to mismanaged waste.
The day is also about working collectively to find solutions and empower communities; this is a crucial part of what World Cleanup Day is all about. It’s important that any of us who are representing organisations find ways to collaborate and harness our collective effort – not just for the day but also to create lasting changes for a waste-free world. Sometimes, inspiring collective action brings the best solutions, which can often be the simplest ones. We hope to enhance cross-sectoral cooperation on that day, with diverse industries coming together to reimagine waste as valuable resources and collaborate towards a sustainable cycle of innovation and environmental stewardship.
Anett Linno: For me, World Cleanup Day is all about celebrating the hard work done throughout the year, thanks to so much international collaboration. It’s one of the best examples of global collaboration out there, with people who share the same mission and vision working together to tackle a global problem that knows no borders. Waste affects everything, whether it’s created on land or in the water, and the only way to address it is through global collaboration.
Heidi Solba: This year is quite special indeed, because for the first time, World Cleanup Day is happening as part of the official United Nations Calendar – a very important moment for our Let’s Do It World global network. Representatives from UN-Habitat will be joining us at an inaugural event in Norway, this year’s World Cleanup Day host country.
To celebrate this moment and spread some important messages to the world, we’ll have a day of activities and broadcasts taking place there, focused around the issue of Arctic region pollution, to highlight the urgent need for international cooperation to protect these fragile ecosystems from plastic pollution. The event will be broadcast via the UN-Habitat’s official YouTube channel, as well as on our own live broadcast which will be produced in the Call and Media Center in Tallinn, Estonia – where the entire movement and the idea for World Cleanup Day began.
Heidi Solba: As the host country, Norway will be bringing their expertise on Arctic region pollution, led by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund, who are this year’s host organisation. On the day, there’ll be a conference celebrating World Cleanup Day with lots of discussions about the scientific aspects of the issue, as well as solutions for raising awareness and improving the situation in the Arctic.
The inaugural event will take place in the city of Tromsø, Norway’s ‘Gateway to the Arctic’, right up in the north of the country. I’ll be there, representing the global network of Let’s Do It World, giving interviews, delivering speeches and taking part in round-table discussions. I’ll also be building a bridge between Tromsø and Tallinn via our live broadcast, showcasing the programme in Tromsø with two-way streaming from the Call and Media Centre and the UN-Habitat YouTube broadcasts.
The day will be wrapped up with a cleanup in Tromsø, organised by Keep Norway Beautiful, an umbrella organisation for voluntary cleanup activities, and in 2022 more than 800,000 Norwegians were involved in cleanups – roughly 14% of the population. They are surely the biggest NGO focused on environmental actions in Norway, and I’ll be very proud to be cleaning up alongside them on the day.
Anett Linno: The spotlight on Arctic pollution for World Cleanup Day 2024 is a timely one, and it deserves special attention due to its unique ecological significance and vulnerability to pollution. With its fragile ecosystems, the Arctic is incredibly sensitive to pollution, much of which stems from land-based sources – about 80% of it. Arctic pollution is an issue that’s relevant to all of us, as so much marine pollution starts on the mainland, and waste pollution from any part of the world can end up in the Arctic Ocean.
Norway, as a key Arctic nation, understands the critical importance of preserving this pristine environment. By focusing efforts on Arctic cleanup, Norway can highlight the urgent need for international cooperation to protect these fragile ecosystems from plastic pollution.
Norway has had strong engagement in the cleaning up of plastic pollution for many years. Since the beginning of 2015, the Norwegian government has been dedicating funds for cleanup activities. The country’s commitment to combating plastic pollution is also evident in programmes like "Cleanup Norway in Time," which was developed and financed by this year’s host organisation, NREF. It’s the world’s first national professional cleanup programme, and has already made impressive strides in cleaning macroplastics from the coastline.
Heidi Solba: By spotlighting the Arctic for World Cleanup Day 2024, we’re hoping to showcase Norway’s achievements and underscore the importance of managing waste throughout its entire lifecycle. This involves improving waste management practices throughout the whole value chain of products, and reducing plastic waste from its source. The aim of this event is not only to boost global awareness about Arctic pollution, but also foster international cooperation to address marine pollution everywhere.
Anett Linno: Yes, the Call and Media Center and broadcast will take place in Tallinn, Estonia, the birthplace of the Let’s Do It World movement and World Cleanup Day. The aim is to show the world how our network collaborates and celebrates the work done throughout the year. Over a period of 42 hours, we will call our country leaders, ask how they are doing, and get estimates of how many people are expected to join the cleanups. We’ll also gather interesting stories from leaders about unique cleanups or notable participants. These stories will be shared during the broadcast to showcase how our leaders have prepared for this celebration.
We also plan to showcase our wonderful partners, such as Earth Day, World Wellness Weekend, and Norquain – the luxury Swiss watch-makers who are creating a sustainable watch in honour of World Cleanup Day. We’ll also highlight a number of mayors and political figures who have supported our teams in different countries. These are people who understand the value of collaboration and have helped make World Cleanup Day a success. It’s important for us to acknowledge these important contributions from all sectors – whether government, business, or the third sector.
But the main goal of the broadcast is to highlight and thank all those who make World Cleanup Day happen – the leaders in our LDIW network, who are really the main energy and driving force behind this movement, as well as all the country team members, volunteers and partners. We want to show the world what incredible things they’re achieving, through their efforts to tackle mismanaged waste locally, and show just how important their efforts are in the bigger global picture.
Heidi Solba: We’ve run World Cleanup Day seven times now, and there are many other organisations around the world doing cleanups. So it’s easy to think, is running cleanups really the solution? And I’d say no, it’s not. But while cleanups are not the ultimate solution, it is a really perfect place to start. It’s a way to show care for your community, your home, and your village. It’s important to walk the talk and involve young people, instilling the right values in how they see the world and our shared resources. Through the conversations and mindset shifts that happen as a result of taking part in cleanups, we can lead a shift in the bigger picture of waste production and management.
I think it’s also essential to recognise the pivotal role that institutions and governments play. World Cleanup Day offers them a unique opportunity to not only empower their communities, but also to actively collaborate with them to spearhead transformative change at the local level. Meaningful progress starts with open dialogue and trust, so it’s vital for governments to try to foster strong partnerships with communities. That way, we can build a united approach to bring about a clean and healthy society.
We’d also like to share a message of deep gratitude to every single person who contributes to World Cleanup Day, beginning with the Let's Do It teams across the globe. Despite the significant challenges faced by NGOs, it's important to acknowledge that the immense work in preparing for the day is largely driven by the passion, personal time, energy, and resources of countless individuals. However, such large-scale movements can’t thrive on passion alone! We urgently need substantial support from governments and organisations in terms of resources and active participation. So we do look forward to seeing a more global contribution to this important collective work.
Anett: As World Cleanup Day approaches, my main message would be to highlight the vital role of local communities. Big changes often start with local actions – so while we think globally, we must act locally to see real impact. Local communities are really the key players in making positive change. It's often local leaders and volunteers who gather everyone together and address the specific waste issues they face.
It’s also important to note that different regions encounter quite different challenges. For example, in some island communities like Indonesia or in Thailand, in many areas they don’t have waste management systems at all. So when they collect the mismanaged waste, they then have to come up with innovative solutions for how to deal with it in a sustainable way. Here in Estonia, we have an entirely different set of problems. We have well-organised waste management systems, but the problem lies more in the need to shift habits and mindsets.
With these different challenges in different places, empowering local communities and encouraging local action is crucial. Understanding the local context and taking action on a local scale is the key to finding solutions that work, and solving the mismanaged waste problem on a global scale. So huge thanks to everyone preparing for the day – your contributions truly make a difference!
*********
Find out more about participating in World Cleanup Day in our blog post here.
Support Let’s Do It World’s activities on our donation page.
The Inaugural event for World Cleanup Day’s first year of inclusion in the UN International Calendar has been co-organised by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund (NREF), UN-Habitat, GRID-Arendal in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Municipality of Tromsø, Fram Center and Let’s Do It World.
.svg){kind=logo}