This year, the metropolis on the Main experienced the biggest edition of the Frankfurt Cleanup to date: more than 7600 people responded to the call to get actively involved in keeping the city clean. For two days, citizens, businesses and schools collected waste from streets, parks and waterfront areas. The eagerness of the volunteers was particularly impressive in the harbour park - 796 kilograms of waste were collected there in just a few hours.
Frankfurt's Head of Department for Climate, Environment and Women's Issues, Tina Zapf-Rodríguez, was impressed: "This effort is a strong sign of cohesion. But it's not enough just to clean up - we have to prevent so much rubbish from being produced. Reusable packaging must become the norm and single-use packaging must be drastically reduced."
The campaign was supported by numerous city employees, including Bastian Bergerhoff, Head of Human Resources. Benjamin Scheffler, Managing Director of Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH (FES), also praised the commitment: "Cleanliness is a community task. Anyone who takes part shows respect for the city and the work of our cleaning staff."
This year's event was characterised by a disturbing find: numerous nitrous oxide cartridges were discovered. These not only pose a health and climate hazard, but are also difficult to dispose of due to their explosive nature. In addition to the usual waste, helpers also found curious objects: a child's seat, a doll, rubber boots and a garden hose.
Zapf-Rodríguez warns: "Small rubbish causes big problems. Cigarette butts and bottle caps end up in joints and waterways and release pollutants there." The aim of the Cleanup is not only to clean up, but also to raise awareness for a more conscious approach to waste.
The Frankfurt Cleanup is a joint campaign by the Department for Climate, Environment and Women, the FES, the Clean Frankfurt staff unit, the Parks Department and the #cleanffm campaign. The final balance of the amount of waste collected is expected in the coming days.
