By Björn Trautwein
All over Berlin, clubs are calling for a global cleaning day on Saturday. At the Plötzensee in Wedding there was already a sweep on Friday and then the result was celebrated.
They clean up strangers’ mess and have fun doing it too. Three years ago, photographer Anna Wasilewski (38) started the “Litterpicker” project. Together with friends and neighbors, she started cleaning up the dirt in what was then her neighborhood Wedding to collect. “I was upset about all the rubbish for a long time and then thought, it would be better to do something instead of just complaining!”
With success. Since then, the troop has been out and about once a week, collecting tons of rubbish in many corners of Berlin. The result is then entered into an app and shared on social media. Music is often played while we work and, if possible, we celebrate together afterwards.
Yesterday, the colorful party cleaning crew was among the first to take part in the global “Clean Up Day”.
The global cleaning day is intended to promote awareness of waste avoidance and make our environment more livable. Last year in Germany alone, 300,000 people took part and collected 1.4 tons of garbage in over 6,000 cleaning campaigns. This year too, countless clubs and initiatives are calling for grabs and brooms and cleaning up the city. In Berlin, more than 100 places are being cleaned up – at schools, in parks and on the streets.
Organizer Anna Wasilewski (38) founded the Litterpicker Photo: Ufuk Ucta
“It’s more fun than you think,” says Anna. “You’re out in the fresh air together and the beer tastes much better after collecting it!”
Almost 200 people came to the Litterpicker and the “nebenan.de Foundation” call at Plötzensee on Friday and cleaned the meadows and banks of Plötzensee for three hours. And what, above all, is found? “The majority of the trash is cigarette butts,” says Anna Wasilewski. “But it has everything you can imagine: cupboards, mattresses, diapers and of course packaging waste.”
Fritz (4) wants to help make Berlin clean Photo: Ufuk Ucta
Anyone can take part in Clean Up Day at the weekend. Among other things here:
Saturday, September 16th
10 a.m., “Fit through the zoo – with movement against litter”, meeting point: lion group sculpture at Ahornteig
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., “Tipping and Bottle Cap Challenge” at Mauerpark, meeting point at the amphitheater
11 a.m., Adlershof – Humboldt University Area (Rudwoer Chaussee 24)
2 p.m. – 5 p.m., “Party and picnic at Fennpfuhlpark – Together against small waste”, meeting point at the Fennpfuhl Bridge
2 p.m. – 5 p.m., cleaning up at Preussenpark, meeting point: construction trailer at the Pommerische Straße park entrance
2 p.m. – 5 p.m., “Celebrate and chill out at the Steglitz city park – get rid of the leftovers”, meeting point at the fountain
2 p.m., garbage walk in Köpenick: Ernst-Grube-Park on the playground
Sunday, September 17th
11.30 a.m., Niederschöneweide on the banks of the Spree, meeting point: Hasselwerdeerstraße 22
Further dates: www.worldcleanupday.de/ events www.wir-berlin.org and www.cleanuptrepnick.de