How to get rid of mess in public spaces, clean up illegal black dumps and lead by example? Let’s clean up the Czech Republic! The employees of Ostrava City Hall joined an event of this name, which took place on Saturday, 23 September. The team was headed by Deputy Mayor Kateřina Šebestová and Ostrava Mayor Tomáš Macura. In the grove in Výškovice, they collected 800 kilograms of rubbish.
Governance
Waste
“We chose a grove in the area of Vyškovická, Šeříkova and Lumírova streets in the Ostrava-Jih district, made up a team from Ostrava City Hall clerks, and on Saturday morning we set off to the grove. Within reach of the grove are both primary and nursery schools and residential urban areas. The grove could be a nice place to clean your thoughts and escape from the hustle and bustle of the working week. For kids, the ideal destination where they can really enjoy themselves. For that to be the case, it is necessary to clean the site from the mess and litter,” said Deputy Mayor Kateřina Šebestová, responsible for environment.
During the rainy Saturday, the City Hall employees collected 800 kilograms of rubbish in the grove, filling a container placed by the OZO Company. In addition to glass and plastic bottles and paper wrappers, they found an old washing machine in the grove, a broken table, tyres, skis, mattresses and an iron.
“The city company Ostrava City Forests and Greenery have installed seven waste bins in the grove. We hope that it will make people throw rubbish where it should be put,” stressed Kateřina Šebestová.
The land is owned by the state enterprise Lesy ČR. In order for this suburban forest to provide a so-called recreational function, the city have concluded a contract with Lesy ČR stating that the maintenance will be provided by Ostrava at its expense until the end of 2027.
Ostrava is preparing candidacy on winning the title of European Green Capital for 2020. The City is preparing many activities in the field of the environment. Involvement in the event “Let’s clean up the Czech Republic” is one of them.
“I’m glad that City Hall employees are not indifferent towards the environment they live in and that they have taken part in the event. They joined other companies, institutions, and groups of individuals and proved that they cared for our city. I believe that this will not be just one isolated participation, but that this volunteer event will become a regular annual activity not only for the employees of City Hall,” added Deputy Mayor Kateřina Šebestová.
Let’s clean up the Czech Republic – This is a volunteer cleaning event, which regularly takes place in the spring and autumn throughout the Czech Republic and even in a few places outside of it. The first year of this event took place in 2014, but it dates back to 1992. It is the largest volunteer event in the Czech Republic. In 2016, over 86,000 volunteers took part in it, collecting over 1600 tonnes of waste.