BEACH CLEAN UP

Active Youth initiated 3 cleaning activities carried out in three different parts of Lithuania (around the capital & a small city Pabradė). All of those places were near the water (river, lakes etc) as the project main focus is to protect the ocean.

During this initiative we have learned that the next time we would organise it, we would definitely organise it much earlier not during the summer but earlier in spring when the grass is not that green and it's easier to see and pick up the trash.

It is a very good and uplifting feeling to see strangers who are united by a common goal - a cleaner environment, and at the same time a cleaner future. We started the event at the Šilo bridge and finished it at the beach in Valakampiai. We have collected quite a lot of trash! We found not only plastic, but also paper and glass finds. While walking along the coast of Neris, we had difficulties: it was difficult to transport full, barely liftable bags to the nearest trash cans. We found the most litter on steeper slopes, as well as areas where people tend to picnic. We sent the places where we left garbage (near the trash cans) to the Vilnius city council. Garbage bags full of garbage - not without in nature - they have already been taken care of. At the end of the event, people were already separating - walking and seeing the trash thrown - it was not scary not to pick it up.

Promotion of the event was happening through Active Youth social media platform and promoted via other organisations. Organisers of these events first had to arrange the agreement with the municipalities to be sure that the trash which was collected would be picked up by the municipality workers. For one of the events we partnered with Friday for Future.