City clean-up day, Saturday 4 May – volunteering against littering in urban areas

Saturday 4 May is City Cleaning Day 2024

For the second year in a row, Hold Norway Clean organizes a national charity against littering in urban areas. Byryddegagen is a large national effort to remove rubbish in cities and towns across Norway.

– We encourage you to bring your friends and family out to clean up so that the rubbish in parks, along streets and in squares does not end up in the sea, says specialist responsible for clean-up Heidi Gromstad.

In Molde, Keep Norway Clean, the Molde Nature Conservancy, the Nordmøre and Romsdal Outdoor Council, the Møre and Romsdal Marine Foraging Network, Molde municipality and Molde Center will clear the streets of Molde of litter. Everyone is invited to participate, and mayor Trygve Grydeland stands up to greet volunteers.

Nordic clean-up effort

City Cleaning Day is Norway’s contribution to a new Nordic clean-up effort organized in collaboration with Hold Norge Clean’s sister organizations in Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Sweden and Åland.

– The Nordic Cleanup Tour takes place in the period from May to October, and during this period volunteers from all over the Nordics are invited to take care of nature and the sea by cleaning up rubbish, says Gromstad.

Why clean urban areas?

Waste that is lost or thrown on the ground, falls out of full bins or is carried away by the wind or birds can create rat problems, among other things. Unfortunately, this litter also often ends up in our fjords, partly because the rubbish is taken out there via rivers.

– It is important that we keep our city clean and free of litter. If we clean up cities and towns, we contribute to cleaner rivers, a clean coast and a clean sea, says Gromstad.

Pay attention to nesting birds

Remember: In the month of May, the nesting and spawning season begins, and it is important that we do not disturb birds or fish when we clean. Along rivers, in the forest and in bushes and thickets where people rarely travel, the birds can be on nests, and then it is important that we do not disturb them.