What began as a frustrated LinkedIn post by creative entrepreneur Victor Knaap has grown into a large-scale civic movement. His call to address Amsterdam's growing waste problem struck a chord. The result? Amsterdam CleansDay - a citywide cleanup campaign with one clear goal: to get 30,000 Amsterdammers on their feet in one day to give their city a major makeover together.
The initiative, driven by Alderman Zita Pels, is more than just an aesthetic facelift. It is a symbolic as well as practical restart of confidence in a clean, livable city.
"Decay starts with litter in the streets. Tackling it starts with all of us. A city does not truly belong to all of us until we also maintain it together." - Zita Pels, public space alderman.
On Friday, Sept. 19, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the city will be swept clean by an army of volunteers. Each neighborhood gets its own moment of glory: from cleaning up bulky trash and graffiti to installing new planters and freshening up sidewalks. Neighborhood initiatives are encouraged, schools participate in educational cleanup projects, and local restaurants provide volunteers with coffee and snacks.
"On September 10, local neighborhood initiatives organizing their own cleanups will distribute 300,000 bright red garbage bags throughout the city," says Victor Knaap, the initiator. "Those bags are not only practical, but also connecting - if you see someone walking with one of those red bags, a smile or conversation will automatically arise.
The action is not only a response to the growing annoyance among residents, but also an attempt to return ownership of the city to its residents. The municipality is making extra budget available to invest in preventive solutions such as more trash cans, enforcement and education even after the event.
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The goal of the initiators is to organize the biggest community clean-up ever in Amsterdam. For this they can use all the help they can get. Will you participate? Sign up here.