Let’s Do It World and Earth Day Network Tackle Mismanaged Waste Together on World Cleanup Day

Tallinn, Estonia — In preparation for World Cleanup Day on September 19, two of the world’s largest global environmental organizations, Let’s Do It World and Earth Day Network, will continue their partnership to tackle mismanaged waste. The World Cleanup Day 2020 global campaign aims to collect 1 billion cigarette butts. The ambitious goal is supported by Earth Day Network.

There are 6.5 trillion cigarette butts produced each year and 4.5 trillion of them end up in nature. Their effect is devastating on our natural resources. One cigarette filter contains more than 150 poisonous toxins capable of polluting 1000l of water and takes 15 years to disintegrate. Since cigarette butts are made out of mostly plastic, the decaying filters contribute massively to the micro-plastic problem the world faces today.

Heidi Solba, the President of Let’s Do It World and Head of its Global Network expressed her excitement for this collaboration, “Cleaning the world by ourselves is not enough – we need to work with other like-minded organisations, with the public as well as private sector. We, as humanity, are drowning in our waste – it is a situation that needs focused attention. In 2020, we are tackling the small but very large problem of cigarette butts and have set an ambitious goal. We are extremely pleased that our campaign finds the support of our global partners.”

“Mismanaged waste is an important problem to everyone on the planet,” said Earth Day Network’s President Kathleen Rogers. “We need to solve it together with partners, governments, businesses, and volunteers. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership and tackling this issue firsthand with Let’s Do It World on World Cleanup Day.”

This year, the two organizations will engage volunteers around the globe to promote and expand their efforts for a cleaner world. Many events of The Great Global Cleanup™ that were originally scheduled for April of 2020 were postponed due to the pandemic and will be executed on or around World Cleanup Day 2020.

In response to COVID-19, World Cleanup Day has instituted several precautions to keep volunteers safe and healthy. First, each participating country has decided on a cleanup format most suitable for their country’s situation (individual or small group) and must adhere to the local government’s guidelines and restrictions. Secondly, volunteers who participate in individual or group cleanups must wear masks and gloves at all times. Volunteers are required to practice social distancing and robust sanitation practices before, during, and after the cleanup.