A lot of rubbish accumulates on river banks. Once a year, things are cleaned up on a grand scale, with the so-called Rhine CleanUp. This year the campaign also took place on the Moselle.
Tens of thousands used the good weather on Saturday to clean up the banks of the Rhine, Ruhr and Moselle. From bicycles to tons of breathing masks – according to the organizers, 320 tons of garbage have been collected. The “CleanUp” took place for the first time on the Moselle and Ruhr: around 10,000 helpers were deployed on the Moselle and around 5,000 on the Ruhr. A total of 70 tons of rubbish were collected on the banks of the two tributaries of the Rhine.
Rhine cleared for the third time by the action
In Trier alone, 14 groups of volunteers had registered. They collected rubbish at previously agreed locations along the Moselle. Utensils such as garbage bags and gloves were partially provided. The garbage was then picked up by the local garbage disposal company. Between Konz and Zell, 28 groups registered for voluntary garbage collection. Because of the corona pandemic, collection was only carried out in groups of a maximum of ten people and at a distance.
The Rhine was cleaned for the third time during the big “CleanUp” – again from the source in Switzerland to the mouth near Rotterdam. According to the organizers, a total of 300 groups took part. In Mainz, the participants met in all parts of the city that are on the Rhine. In Wiesbaden, among others, collections were made in Kastel, at the Schiersteiner Hafen and at the Maaraue. The Nonnenaue island in the Rhine near Ginsheim-Gustavsburg was also not left out by the collectors. In addition to the Rhine CleanUp, the city of Ingelheim is organizing a cigarette butt collection campaign that began on Saturday and runs until October 8th. Well over 1,000 helpers came together in Mannheim as well.
Date already set for next year
Last year, according to the organizers, around 450 volunteers collected rubbish in Mainz alone. Nationwide, 20,000 volunteers took part and collected a good 170 tons of garbage. The initiators of Rhein-, Moselle and RuhrCleanUp immediately announced the date of the campaign for next year on Saturday: Saturday, September 11th, 2021.
– .