This world-changing idea began in Estonia with a group of 50,000 Estonians coming together to clean up the entire country in just five hours. 13 years ago, their ambitious 'one country, one day' mindset captured the imaginations of people worldwide, and today it is the world's largest single peacetime civic action against waste in human history, with volunteers across 180 different countries.  

Run by Let's Do it World, the global event seeks to raise awareness of the scale of the global waste crisis, flagging how it threatens both living creatures and the environment, it now unites millions of volunteers in 180 different countries. 

One of the current priorities for World Clean Up Day is the cigarette butt campaign. As the most common litter picked up during the days of action, Let's Do it World have launched a campaign to raise awareness of this small, but dangerous waste. A target of picking up 1 billion cigarette butts has been set for 2021. The Let's Do It World network is looking to work in cooperation with country leaders to develop a global roadmap towards better resource management, and to work together in engaging both private sectors and local communities.  

World Clean Up Day takes place globally on 18 September 2021. For more information, please visit: https://www.visitestonia.com/en/why-estonia/made-by-estonians-world-cleanup-day 

This project is in co-operation with Visit Estonia and funded by the European Union European Regional Development Fund 

For media enquiries, please contact the LOTUS team at estonia@wearelotus.co.uk / 0207 953 7470.