Between 17 and 26 September 2021 River Cleanup will organise nationwide campaigns against litter. The focus of the campaign will be on Saturday 18 September. That day is World Cleanup Day. So, are you looking for a fun and meaningful activity? Then take part in one of the more than 100 actions across the country.
River Cleanup fights against 8 billion kg of litter
In 2017, Thomas De Groote founded River Cleanup with an ambitious goal. Every year, 8 billion kg of litter, mainly plastic, ends up in our oceans. 80% of this comes there via our rivers. River Cleanup aims to intercept this litter so that it no longer ends up in our oceans.
What started as a local initiative has in four years time grown into a worldwide event. On the occasion of World Cleanup Day, River Cleanup is organising litter clean-up campaigns in no fewer than 18 countries on six continents.
Every week we eat the equivalent of a credit card in plastic.
The ‘River Warriors’ roll up their sleeves in Canada, Costa Rica, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Kenya, India, Saudi Arabia and Australia, among others. And closer to home, in Finland, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, England, the Netherlands and Italy.
River Cleanup counts on 5,000 participants to collect litter
In Belgium, dozens of River Cleanup events are scheduled. The 6 so-called key events take place in Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven, Dendermonde, Namur and Pepinster. You can find the complete overview here. The aim of River Cleanup is to mobilise 5,000 participants to collect litter.
River Cleanup supports the victims of the heavy floods
River Cleanup focuses on 10 rivers in Belgium. Special attention will be paid to the regions that suffered severe flooding in July. Since those fatal events, River Cleanup has been visiting the affected areas several times a week to help the victims. River Cleanup has organised litter campaigns in Pepinster, Chénée, Verviers, Trooz and Chaudfontaine, among other places.
Multi Masters Group supports River Cleanup
Multi Masters Group is one of the structural partners of River Cleanup. As a facilities service provider, the actions against litter are close to our hearts. And we are not afraid to roll up our sleeves either.
In 2019, we organised our own Multi Masters River Cleanup in the Rivierenhof in Deurne. This year we participated in the River Cleanup Challenge. Our chairman Nicolas de Schutter went out in April together with Thomas De Groote to collect litter (see picture below).
On the occasion of River Cleanup World, the commercial team of Multi Masters Group collected litter at the Dok in Merksem in early June (see picture below).
River Skimmer filters 500 litres of water per minute
The Dok in Merksem is a location with which Multi Masters Group is closely associated. It is situated between our current (Westkaai) and our future headquarters (Oostkaai). Early this year we installed the River Skimmer there in cooperation with River Cleanup. This device, developed by our Construct Masters division, is suspended in the water and filters out the litter. It purifies 500 litres of water per minute. That is 800 cubic metres a day and almost 300,000 cubic metres a year.
Give River Cleanup a helping hand and take part in a litter campaign
Despite River Cleanup‘s many efforts, the battle against litter is far from over. We call on everyone to lend a hand over the next few days during one of the many events organised as part of World Cleanup Day.
