Celebrate World Cleanup Day
What a difference a month can make!
In 2008, the European nation of Estonia mobilized 50,000 volunteers in an effort to “clean up” the country in a single day. This small but ambitious effort inspired other nations, organizations, individuals to join — and by 2019, 21.2 million people across the globe were part of the World Cleanup Day movement.
At The Junkluggers, we’re so inspired by the growth and success of World Cleanup Day. But we also know that the problem of waste requires more than one day a year to tackle. It’s truly the work of a lifetime.
To help spread awareness and do what we can to stem the flow of waste into landfills, this September we’re encouraging you to participate in local eco-friendly focused community events or even create your own! Together, we aim to live a little greener and show the planet some extra love during the whole month of September.
E-waste — a relatively new problem, but a big problem
The EPA defines e-waste as electronics that are nearing the end of their useful life and discarded. For example: mobile phones, computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines.
According to a UN report, more than 48 million tons of e-waste were produced globally in 2018 — equivalent in mass to all the commercial aircraft ever built. And it’s a problem that’s only growing in scale. Think about how often you and the people in your household upgrade your mobile phones or computers.
Collection and repurposing/recycling of some of the components that go into electronics can help stem the flow of e-waste into landfills. For example, at the recent Tokyo Olympics, the 5,000 medals presented to athletes were made from recycled small electronics — including more than 6 million mobile phones.
While many communities have their own e-waste collection days, they are usually few and far between. During our World Cleanup Month in September, The Junkluggers will be sponsoring free e-waste collection events across the country to give you another opportunity to responsibly dispose of your unwanted electronics.
The Junkluggers of Gainesville practicing responsible e-waste recycling of local items.
Supporting Community Cleanup Days — all September long
The Junkluggers of Southwest Las Vegas making a positive impact, keeping recyclable items out of local landfills.
This year, World Cleanup Day is on Saturday, September 18th. In past years, volunteers have collected as much as 110,000 tons of waste in a single day.
But truthfully, any day (and every day!) is a good day to pick up litter. According to The Junkluggers founder and CEO Josh Cohen, “Awareness of the global problem of waste is a start, but we all need to do more — which is why The Junkluggers has expanded World Cleanup Day into a whole month.”
In the U.S. alone, the average person generates 4.9 pounds of waste every single day. That adds up to nearly a ton each year, per person. Most of this waste ends up in our landfills — totaling 146 million tons every single year.
We hope you will join The Junkluggers in celebrating World Cleanup Month by participating in one of our sponsored events, learning more about the global waste problem, and actively engaging in being part of the solution. To learn more about how you can support our mission to keep waste out of landfills or to see if The Junkluggers is sponsoring an event near you this September, be sure to follow us on social media!