Belgique

Le pilier « empower » vise à faire comprendre aux gens que la pollution plastique est un problème et à les motiver à faire partie de la solution. Nous y parvenons de différentes manières. Par le biais de cleanups, tels que nos événements de World Cleanup Day, le #10minchallenge, les team cleanups avec des sessions d'inspiration et les River Cleanup Days à Temse, nous essayons d'ouvrir les yeux des gens sur la gravité du problème. Avec notre programme éducatif, nous cherchons à sensibiliser les élèves au problème du plastique et à leur permettre de trouver des solutions créatives pour réduire l'utilisation du plastique dans leur propre environnement scolaire. Enfin, La River Cleanup University Cup récompense les étudiants les plus soucieux de durabilité et sensibilise au problème du plastique sur le campus.

The prevent pillar is all about preventing plastic and other waste from pollution our environment. Plastic that is never created will never end up in nature. That’s why we encourage everyone to reduce their plastic use and to shift towards low-waste or reusable alternatives. We have created a comprehensive database to help with this! We also clean up so called hotspots -places where a lot of trash is accumulated- and jump into action after natural disasters to stop pollution before it spreads, like we did in Wallonia after the floods in 2021. We are now launching the River Cleanup Response Unit to strengthen our procedures in this regard, so we are fully prepared when disaster strikes again.

Change is coming, but it has to come sooner rather than later. That is why we focus on accelerating change by doing advocacy work. The data we gathered from different sources, like the brand audits, River Watchers and Drone Project Scheldt, will be used to come up with short-term remediations and structural solutions. Then, we will work with policy makers and companies to implement them. We do all this in collaboration with like-minded organizations, both nonprofit and for-profit.

The assessment enabler exist to ensure that we work in a way that is data-driven and tailored to the local conditions. In Belgium, we are running two projects to gather data with help from the public so we can work efficiently and effectively. The Drone project aims to map 125 km of the banks of the Scheldt river and with the help of AI produce heat maps to identify the most polluted areas. The River Watchers project has a similar goal, but is even more accessible, as you only need a smartphone to participate. With this project, we encourage the public to take pictures of litter, which are then processed by AI to produce an interactive litter map. Additionally, we collect data through brand audits, where we document the types of items we find and who produced them, helping us better understand the waste that ends up in nature. All this data will guide our efforts to combat plastic pollution.

Ensure the successful execution of the Clean River Model by developing a detailed, river-specific action plan and securing the necessary funding. Based on insights from the assessment, the action plan outlines specific interventions and effective project organization to realize the deliverables and mitigate risks.

We focus on tracking the progress and effectiveness of the Clean River Model interventions by regularly monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) and evaluating outcomes against established baselines.

Have a look on the map above or at the upcoming events. Many cleanups are organized around the world. Find one close to you and join the cleanup!

Thinking about doing your own cleanup? Register it here on the website so other people can see it. You can also upload photos and share your experience with the River Cleanup community.

You can make a one-off or monthly donation or organize a fundraiser, for example for your birthday, wedding or an important sport event. Your contribution enables us to achieve our mission by cleaning rivers, change behavior and transforming organizations.