Home | River Cleanup

Our mission

River Cleanup is a global network organization

stopping plastic from reaching our oceans

by cleaning rivers, changing behavior,

and transforming organizations.

Our impact

4895

events
234884

warriors
3448915

kg recovered

Our approach

Clean

First objective is to clean up and make people aware of the problem by showing them trash can be found in and around the river where they grew up, live or work. In addition, we deploy smart technologies in rivers to continuously collect trash and stop the inflow of trash in our oceans.

Educate

Second aim is to educate and inspire students from elementary school to universities on the issue and allow them to have the same eye-opening experience while picking up trash for the first time.

Transform

We organize teambuilding cleanups combined with workshops on how to reduce the use of single-use items at home, at work and in society. Doing so we create a network of organizations, scientists & researchers, businesses and policy makers in order to create cross-border solutions.

In action

Become a River Warrior

Latest news

Join the challenge, make a difference!

We are challenging people around the world to pick up litter for 10 minutes from April 22nd (Earth Day) to June 8th (World Ocean Day). Everyone is invited to go outside and get stuck in, looking for litter near rivers or on streets, or any other place with lots of roadside litter.

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3 out of 4 Belgians are convinced microplastics are harmful to their health

River Cleanup survey into the awareness and attitude of Belgians with regard to plastic pollution:

- Belgians consider plastic pollution to be the 2nd most impactful environmental issue, after air pollution
- 1 in 3 Belgians believe they themselves can do little to counteract plastic pollution
- Almost 1 in 4 Belgians (22%) admits to littering
- 2 in 3 Belgians drink water from plastic bottles as opposed to tap water
- 28% of the Belgian population doesn’t sort PMD at work, while 8% don’t sort waste at all
- Belgians believe that, on average, only 50% of the PMD bag is recycled

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Europe takes a historic step in the fight against plastic pollution

Europe turns off the plastic tap - Every year, millions of tons of plastic waste from Europe end up in countries outside the EU. There, the plastic ends up in landfills or is incinerated, a toxic process that releases toxins into nature. The European Parliament is now putting an end to this by voting for a historic ban on the export of plastic waste. From now on, EU countries will be obliged to take responsibility and process their own waste. A welcome step in the right direction, but the road is still long.

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Partners