Thousands of waste collected in Paris La Défense during World CleanUp Day

September 20, 2022 3mn
230 people met at Paris La Défense for the World CleanUp Day to make the global business district even cleaner

On September 15, 230 people met at Paris La Défense for the World CleanUp Day to make the global business district even cleaner.

Armed with gloves and garbage bags, the “world cleaners” met at the foot of the Grande Arche and near the Takis basin to take part in this waste collection operation. Result10.8 kg of cigarette butts less!

@Constance Décorde

In only 4 hours, 43,200 cigarette butts, the equivalent of 10.8 kilos, and 720 liters of recyclable waste related to take-away sales were collected.

At the end of the operation, the waste was entrusted to the start-up company Cy-Clope so that it could be sent to a recycling facility and then transformed into fuel in order to save on raw materials.

@Constance Décorde

Despite the presence of numerous ashtrays and waste garbage cans throughout La Défense, it’s hard to walk around without seeing here and there a cigarette butt, plastic packaging or unusual objects on the groun.

By organizing and participating in this day, Paris La Défense aimed to mobilize, raise awareness, and encourage a more responsible behavior regarding climate emergency. This initiative also served to increase enthusiasm and support, stimulate self-mobilisation and action of local community, and mobilise local knowledge and resources.

Why a world clean-up day?
This worldwide movement was born from a disturbing fact: the omnipresence of litter in our daily lives. Apart from collecting all kinds of waste, the aim of this day is also to raise awareness by inviting users to reflect on their daily behavior and the resulting creation of waste.

That’s why since 2017, several cities and companies have committed to participating in this large-scale waste collection operation. And the number of participations continues to grow each year. In 2022, the World Clean Up Day association has counted more than 3,000 actions organized all over France.