Earth Day 2026 is less than one month away, with the EARTHDAY.ORG official theme this year being “Our Power, Our Planet”. In preparation for the holiday, the Great Global Cleanup team has been connecting with international organizations and partners to offer support and gain inspiration. 

The Great Global Cleanup connects thousands of volunteers and organizations around the world; people with different stories, goals, and meaning behind their work. Each organization we work with is unique, and we wanted to highlight the impactful, diverse actions they are all doing to help lead the charge in creating a waste-free world. We asked a few of our partners firsthand why they believe cleanups are important and what Earth Day means to them, and here’s the inspiring words they shared with us:

The Great Raleigh Cleanup: Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

In Raleigh, North Carolina, a mighty group called The Great Raleigh Cleanup works tirelessly to enhance the community by picking up litter throughout the city. They organize a variety of programs, including their Workforce Program, which offers unhoused people employment opportunities to pick up trash on roadsides, parks, and other locations. In addition to $18/hour, they also receive a free meal. No matter what the program is, TGRC brings the community together to make a difference.

Preston Ross, the organization’s Founder and Executive Director, is the leading voice behind the scenes. EARTHDAY.ORG has worked with Preston and TGRC for the past few years, and it’s been amazing to see how they inspire their community. Preston puts it into words best, and shares their plans for Earth Day this year:

The Clean Wave: Tamarindo Costa Rica

In Tamarindo on the pacific coast of Costa Rica, The Clean Wave organizes community-based cleanup events on both land and sea, focused on protecting coastal ecosystems and advancing zero-waste solutions. The organization emphasizes the idea that meaningful environmental change begins at the local level, taking collective action while contributing to a larger, global movement. Whether in town, on the beach, or scuba diving in the ocean, members and volunteers of this organization are fully dedicated to creating a cleaner environment. 

Hear from Andres Bermudez, The Clean Wave’s President and CEO, on why Earth Day is important to Costa Ricans:

Global Alliance on Environment: Ghana, West Africa

Global Alliance on Environment is a fast growing movement dedicated to environmental education outreach. Through a partnership with Ghana Education service, they organize school visits in the East Bono region of Techiman, West Africa, with the goal of educating and empowering youth to join the conservation movement. They also organize local community cleanups and Earth Day events to engage residents across Ghana.

CEO Enock Mustapha plays an active role in the outreach programs, working diligently to mobilize the younger generation. He shares his ideas on environmental change:

The Litterboom Project: Cape Town, South Africa

Founded in 2017, The Litterboom Project is an organization working year round to intercept trash in local rivers before it reaches the ocean. By identifying hotspots, the team wades into the river currents, cleaning up the water. While they do the bulk of the work, local volunteers are encouraged to attend their public cleanups, where they can clean up local beaches and make the crew’s job easier!

Casey Pratt is one of the team members working tirelessly to prevent ocean pollution. She shares the importance of getting involved not only on Earth Day, but year round:

River Cleanup: Antwerp, Belgium

River Cleanup is a global organization with a community of over 100 countries. By using their own Clean River Model, which integrates solutions for plastic-free rivers, they work to prevent new plastic pollution and permanently remove waste from their lands. Their River Watchers program invites citizens and schools to help monitor plastic pollution in rivers through AI-supported waste recognition.

On top of that, they hold both public and private cleanups across multiple countries, encouraging communities to get involved. Sarah Van de Walle and her team speaks on the mission of River cleanup:

Earth Day Network India: India and South Asia

EARTHDAY.ORG’s India team implements year-round programs that engage everyone from community-based organizations to government leaders, with efforts extending across South and Southeast Asia and strengthening collaboration in over two dozen countries.

India generates about 5.6 million tons of plastic waste annually, much of it unmanaged. To address this, EARTHDAY.ORG India partners run citizen-led initiatives to end plastic pollution, including cleanup events around the region.

Karuna Singh is the Regional Director of Asia for EARTHDAY.ORG, leading diverse teams to build partnerships and deliver climate initiatives tailored to local needs. Singh adds:

Join the Movement

From the rivers of Belgium to the reefs of Costa Rica, the message from our partners is clear: change happens when people show up.

This Earth Day, you don’t need to travel far to make a difference. A cleanup near you could be happening right now. Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer or picking up a trash bag for the first time, your action matters, and it connects you to a global community of millions doing the same.

Find a cleanup near you on the Great Global Cleanup Map, or even register your own cleanup event. Together, we are “Our Power, Our Planet.” 

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Today you’ll find me knee-deep in a river, clearing away the plastic bottles and bags caught in the brush. For me, it’s the best way to spend World Cleanup Day. 

Today, September 20th, is World Cleanup Day. Millions of people from all corners of the planet are joining together to clean up their communities, their parks, and their world to create an Earth free from trash and plastic pollution. 

As the lead on The Great Global Cleanup at EARTHDAY.ORG, today is a special and hugely busy time. I do cleanups year round, but there is something special about being a part of a massive movement, happening in every corner of the planet, all on the same day that really makes it feel different. You can almost feel the energy in the air whether you’re at a beach, on a river, or just on your own street, picking up trash. 

Where it Began

The first official World Cleanup Day was black in 2018, and six years later in 2024, it was officially added to the calendar of United Nations International Days. But the origins of this day goes back further and is down to the work of our amazing partner, Let’s Do It World.

It began in Estonia in 2008 when they mobilized 50,000 people to clean up the entire country in a single day, collecting over 10,000 tonnes of trash. Yes you heard that right. That spark ignited a global movement, and by 2018, it had grown into a worldwide call to action.

Cleanups aren’t a new solution. As far back as the first Earth Day in 1970, community cleanups were part of the environmental movement. But many of these early efforts were led by organizations, ironically backed by the actual plastic producers, who cleverly shifted the blame for their plastic pollution onto consumers. Back then it was framed as if only people would stop dropping trash there would be no issue – when we all know the real issue is that plastic is being over produced. Often unnecessarily, as in the case of anything made of single use plastics. 

The plastic industry fed us lies about  recycling campaigns, which as we now know, are not the solution. By making consumers believe they were responsible for plastic pollution, they  wouldn’t apply pressure onto the plastic producers to fix the problem. The problem is that the sheer amount of plastic produced – over 400 million tonnes every year and rising – makes the job of cleaning it up virtually impossible.

Cleanups – We Can’t Do it Alone!

Around the world, I’ve spoken with many cleanup organizers and they all run into a similar problem. They pick a site and make it spotless, but fast forward a month, a week, or even a day, and trash begins to return. 

This doesn’t mean that cleanups don’t work – they do. The trash needs to be removed from the environment, and we know that cleanups can prevent up to 99% of the microplastics that would otherwise break down into waterways reaching our rivers and oceans. 

We also know from behavioral science that if just 5% of a population adopts an action, it can spread across the entire community. This is why Let’s Do It World has chosen the theme Strive For Five  this year. 

It’s Not Just Pollution  – It’s Our Health Too

Microplastics have taken over our world: we are breathing them, drinking them, eating them in our food and now they are inside our homes, our body’s, our children, and even our hearts. Their chemicals are known endocrine disruptors with links to cancer, strokes, infertility, miscarriages, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and developmental issues. 

That’s why EARTHDAY.ORG and Let’s Do It World are calling for a 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040, and a strong Global Plastics Treaty. 

Where We Are Now

Today, the global cleanup movement is a force to be reckoned with. Organizers are no longer satisfied with single-day events. The simple act of removing trash is being linked to broader fights against plastic pollution and campaigns for environmental justice.

Take, for example, EARTHDAY.ORG’s partners in the Underserved Community Cleanup Campaign. They use cleanup events not only to protect their neighborhoods from pollution but also to bring vital resources, attention, and pride back to overlooked areas. 

In Detroit, we are working with our partner, Detroit Hives, Michigan, as they clean up abandoned lots, and turning them into Bee Farms; in Raleigh, North Carolina, The Great Raleigh Cleanup is working with people experiencing homelessness and giving them paid opportunities to cleanup their own community; in Miami, Florida, Debris Free Oceans is tackling the illegal dumping issues in neighborhoods like Calle Ocho. 

Luckily it’s a very easy movement to join, you just need to go outside and pick up trash and at EARTHDAY.ORG we’ve tried to make it even easier than that. Check out our Global Cleanup Map to find a cleanup near you, or use our toolkit to learn how to create your own. Grab friends, family, or coworkers, choose a site, and help us create a waste-free world. 

As for my plans for this year’s World Clean Up Day, I’ll be picking up trash with my friends on a river bank, probably covered in mud, but leaving behind a much cleaner space. I hope to see you out there maybe. But whatever you do, do something positive to help the planet and your community this World Clean Up Day! Thank you. 

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After hours of a grueling hike on the side of a snowcapped mountain, I had finally made it to the Hidden Lake Lookout at the Edge of the North Cascades National Park in Washington. The peak we found ourselves at was surrounded by an endless view of mountains as far as the eye could see. For someone living in the swamps of Florida, where the highest mountains are literally the trash dumps, the view was overwhelmingly beautiful.

The view of the hidden lake from the summit was incredible. The deep blue water was motionless at the bottom of the valley, framed by rocks, ice, and scattered evergreen trees. Deep in the national park, this stunning lake looked untouched and pristine from the pollution and chaos of the rest of the world. 

But even this far away from civilization, I saw what I never seem able to escape: plastic. Specifically, a plastic sandwich clamshell.

I’m sure it was left behind by a hiker who was not ill-meaning, but unfortunately, with the amount of plastic we use and are inundated with everyday in our lives, it’s almost impossible not to even accidentally leave behind plastic bread crumbs wherever we go, no matter how far away. 

Hiking in the Cascades and with World Cleanup Day  just around the corner on September 20th, I can’t help but think about the natural wonders we have in the United States. Our national parks are the true jewels of our nation, and something we should not only be proud of, but something we should be actively protecting. I’ve traveled around the world doing cleanup work and picking up trash wherever I go, but I can’t help but be captivated by the sheer beauty that the United States offers. As an environmentalist, I feel the need to act to protect these special places whenever I can.

In my opinion, our national parks, of which there are 63, are perhaps the best idea we’ve ever had.

The very first national park ever created in the world was Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park in 1879, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. This special place was designated “as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” Since the inception of Yellowstone, globally, more than 100 other nations have set aside land for over 1,200 national parks, inspired by the U.S. model. 

Theodore Roosevelt: The Godfather of National Parks

Theodore Roosevelt, known as the ‘conservationist president’, doubled the number of national parks in the United States, adding 230 million acres of protected land, and left a legacy with the Antiquities Act of 1906. This gave presidents the authority to protect landmarks and landscapes without waiting for Congress. 

Roosevelt protected vast swaths of land not only for public enjoyment and use, but also for wildlife, biodiversity and for the nation’s environmental health. 

Roosevelt’s legacy is celebrated by many of us today, but during his time, he was heavily criticized and his efforts were often met with ardent opposition – largely from political opponents, and industry and business leaders, who saw his reach to protect millions of acres of land, as being in direct opposition to economic growth through the expansion of logging, mining, and ranching. 

But Roosevelt spent time in nature, throughout the U.S., and he inherently understood the importance of protecting some of our nation’s forests and wild places. As Roosevelt expressed in 1908, the rights of the public to enjoy and access these natural resources outweighed everything else and therefore had to be given first consideration. 

His visionary approach is perhaps best showcased in his journal, written during his first visit to the Badlands of South Dakota: “We have become great because of the lavish use of our resources. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil, and the gas are exhausted, when the soils have still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields and obstructing navigation.” 

It’s impossible not to assume that Roosevelt would have been shocked at how quickly our leaders have forgotten this sentiment and now seem to regard the wilderness of our nation as merely a vast commodity.  

Deforestation has swept across the United States, while our rivers are choked with pollutants and fertilizers — most notably the Mississippi, which has created a yearly “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico that suffocates the fish living there. On top of that, the world produces more than 400 million tonnes of plastic every year, half of it designed for single use, much of which ends up littering our streets, oceans, rivers, beaches, and green spaces.

The Threat to our National Parks

Today, we face a similar fight to protect the legacy of the conservationists who travelled before us. Microplastics have invaded every corner of our Earth, from our national parks to our bloodstream; they are inside our children, our food, our homes, and even our hearts. Their chemicals are known endocrine disruptors with links to cancer, strokes, infertility, miscarriages, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and developmental issues. 

Plastic isn’t the only threat to our nation’s natural beauty. Today, the current administration has cut funding to the National Park Service, leading to a significant drop in the number of rangers employed to maintain the parks as well as limiting visitor capacity. At the same time, proposals to weaken the EPA’s Endangerment Finding would gut the EPA’s own ability to regulate greenhouse gases. Endangering not only the park, but the health of every American, while at the same time driving climate change. 

With World Cleanup Day here, we must continue to protect these incredible parks. Joining a cleanup is an easy way to prevent waste and plastic pollution from harming the environment and your own community. If plastic waste especially is not removed, it will eventually end up in the oceans, forests and waterways that most of us love. Check out the Global Cleanup Map to find a cleanup happening near you, or create your own, not just for September 20th, but all year round. 

Perhaps more importantly, get outside and visit a national park. Only then will you fully understand why Roosevelt fought so hard to create them, and why we must too. While you’re there, pick up any plastic you happen to see lying on the ground please! 

Protecting our national parks is the responsibility of every American. Not just for our own health and well-being, but for all future generations who deserve to see, experience and enjoy this amazing country as Roosevelt did. 

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Tomorrow marks World Cleanup Day, a day when millions of people around the world unite to take collective action against the global waste crisis. In preparation for this special day, we want to highlight seven of the most powerful cleanups that EARTHDAY.ORG has been part of, alongside our incredible partners worldwide.

Ranging from Armenia to India, and all over the United States, we helped to inspire millions of people to care for our planet. We are grateful to every single person who showed up for these and every other cleanup – and ask everyone to continue to do the same this World Cleanup Day.

1) Yerevan, Armenia

High above Yerevan, the stunning capital city of ancient Armenia, the view from Mount Ararat is breathtaking; however, this beauty lies in stark contrast to the trash that fills some of the streets of the city. This inspired nineteen year-old Hrachya Sahakyan to create Maqoor (“clean” in Armenian), a youth-led movement that has already organized more than 200 cleanups in just one year. 

Partnering with EARTHDAY.ORG in 2024, Maqoor volunteers, made up of mostly teenagers, mobilized to restore polluted sites across Yeveran. Their largest series of cleanups occurred around Lake Yerevan on April 20, 2024, where they  collectively cleared more than 750 pounds of waste in a single day.  This effort helped to transform a heavily trashed area into a cleaner, healthier space for the community and for the wildlife!

Michael Karapetian, coordinator of The Great Global Cleanup, was able to attend this event and see Maqoor in full action. What struck Michael most wasn’t just the trash collected, but the spirit of the volunteers. He was able to witness how the courage of youth leading the charge in a country still recovering from conflict made these cleanups so powerful and inspiring. 

One particular moment stuck with Michael during his journey to Armenia: an eight year-old boy refusing to leave the cleanup, insisting “I need to be here, cleaning up my country.” The Armenia cleanups in 2024 initiated a movement rooted in hope, pride, and community– cleanups go far beyond cleaning up trash and Armenia we saw that in action. 

2) Mumbai, India

In 2024, Earth Day India teamed up with the Indian Coast Guard for a massive cleanup on one of Mumbai’s most crowded beaches. 

A crowd of over 15, 000 people showed up to Mumbai, determined to tackle the tide of plastic pollution washing in from the ocean. While volunteers spread across the beaches to pick up waste, scuba divers cleared debris below the surface and helicopters circled overhead to capture the scale of the effort. The day of hard work ended with a celebratory atmosphere of games, speeches, and community pride.

This powerful cleanup effort is a part of Earth Day India’s larger mission to educate, empower, and engage communities across the country. From cleaning the River Ganges to planting fruit trees in drought-prone areas, their work builds an environmentally aware and active generation ready to take on challenges that protect their environment, and their own health. 

3) Vienna, Austria

In 2024, Planet Matters made waves by launching a global cleanup app for World Cleanup Day, turning environmental action into something exciting. The app allows people to track their cleanups, connect with other cleanup communities, and earn rewards along the way. 

Their motto is clear and true: When it comes to the environment, doing always beats worrying! The moment you take  action, you start feeling hopeful, especially when you’re with friends!

Based in Austria, Planet Matters’s efforts quickly took off as the organization engaged with more than 200 local students to take part in a city wide clean up and teach them that every individual action does make a difference.

This year, Planet Matters is teaming up with the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative to organize  major cleanup events all over the world in the lead up to the next Earth Day, 2026. They are  an inspiring model for how digital innovation and youth leadership can come together to meet the environmental movement head on and energize it!

4) Penang Island, Malaysia

The weekend before Earth Day 2024, over 250,000 volunteers gathered on Penang Island in Malaysia for one of the biggest and most ambitious environmental actions of the year. 

EARTHDAY.ORG joined forces with The Malaysia Humanitarian Foundation to combine hands-on environmental work with global collaboration through the Asian Environmental Summit. That meant they got a ton of people to come together to get their hands dirty, clean up trash and plant trees! In just two days, 1.2 million trees were planted by volunteers, while teams also fanned out across beaches and neighborhoods to haul away almost 2,000 pounds of trash, much of it plastic. 

The momentum carried into the Asian Environmental Summit, held at Penang City Hall, where activists, NGOs, youth leaders, and public figures, including EARTHDAY.ORG ambassador Melissa Tan, came together to share solutions and strategies to the most pressing environmental issues occurring in Asia.

What made this cleanup event so meaningful wasn’t only the remarkable number of trees planted or trash removed, but also how it united community action, ecological restoration, and youth leadership-  into a unified effort. Global challenges can be met when communities take action together and this community came together and made a difference!

5) Raleigh, North Carolina

In April of this year, EARTHDAY.ORG teamed up with The Great Raleigh Cleanup in Raleigh, North Carolina to put a fresh spin on Earth Day action. Under this innovative program, community members experiencing homelessness are hired and paid about $20 per hour as well as provided with meals to lead cleanups in their own neighborhoods. 

Ten local members joined a cleanup in downtown Raleigh, and removed over 1,000 pounds of trash and plastic pollution in just four hours. The wages made it possible for these participants to secure a safe place to stay, a hot meal, and a shower after a long day of work. 

Founder Preston Ross III notes that these small shifts in our concept of community can feel monumental, recalling how workers told him the only nights they could count on a clean, comfortable room, were the days they joined a cleanup. 

Raleigh’s story is another powerful example showing what happens when environmental action is blended with compassion. This is the true spirit of the Global Cleanup Movement, and we hope it is contagious.

6) Compton, California

In a continued effort to support underserved communities, EARTHDAY.ORG partnered with community-oriented nonprofit The Compton Initiative, Los Angeles, California, for one of their beautification cleanup events. 

During this event, volunteers poured their energy into projects as not only cleaned up their neighborhoods, but also painted fences, refreshed the Compton Courthouse Complex, and tended to Lincoln Memorial Park. By the time the work wrapped up, five giant dumpsters were overflowing with trash. FIVE!

A large sense of pride spread through the community, and many people expressed their gratitude for the cleanup volunteers and all of their hard work. Todd Bouquet of The Compton Initiative thoughtfully reflected, “Unity was lifted up, community was strengthened, and family was broadened.” 

7) Miami, Florida

On April 19th, 2025, EARTHDAY.ORG collaborated with Miami-based nonprofit Debris Free Oceans for an action-packed day of cleanup fun in the lively community of Little Havana, Miami along the vibrant stretch of Calle Ocho. 

To start the morning off, volunteers practiced mindfulness with a yoga session before they scattered across the area to clean up sites where illegal trash dumping occurs. This event aimed to amplify these issues and called on the local government to take action. With this mindset, volunteers spent the morning cleaning up almost 200 pounds of trash.

The uplifting, inclusive atmosphere of Little Havana made it easy for volunteers to feel like they were a part of a neighborhood gathering, rather than a trash cleanup event.

Inspired? If YOU want to help make a difference on World Cleanup Day 2025, register to take part in an existing clean-up on our Great Global Cleanup Map or even register your own cleanup with the Great Global Cleanup. Thank you to all our clean up volunteers for being a part of the Global Cleanup Movement!  We salute you!

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