‘Strive for Five’: 2026 World Cleanup Day targets 5% of global population

World Cleanup Day 2026 aims to engage five per cent of the world's population in a global initiative to tackle the waste crisis. Scheduled for September 20, 2026, the ninth edition of the campaign, under the slogan "Strive for Five," seeks to drive long-term societal change. Heidi Solba, President and Head of the Global Network of Let's Do It World, explained that when a significant portion of a population acts collectively, it can trigger lasting societal transformations.

Solba emphasized that the campaign wants participants to focus on waste prevention and community building, rather than merely cleaning up existing waste. This year's global coordination will be led from Riga, Tallinn, and Kyiv, with each city playing a unique role in connecting the worldwide effort. The main celebration will occur in Shaoxing, China, while Ghana will observe the event a day earlier on September 19.

Since its inception in Estonia in 2008, World Cleanup Day has grown exponentially, with 25 million people participating in 190 countries and territories in 2025. The initiative has mobilized over 139 million people since 2018, who have collectively removed more than 870,000 tonnes of waste. In addition to waste collection, World Cleanup Day also aims to strengthen communities affected by crises, with teams in countries like Ukraine, Colombia, and Nepal carrying out activities during disasters.

The United Nations recognized the initiative's growing significance in 2024, adding World Cleanup Day to its list of international days.