Joint Clean-Up in Athens and Alexandria
20 September 2024 marked the World Clean-Up Day, and Be2aty was at the front line of action. We organized not one, but two simultaneous beach clean-ups—one in Alexandria, Egypt, and the other across the Mediterranean in Athens, Greece.
Cleaning Up Athens: Small Hands, Big Impact
In Athens, our Greek Be2aty partner, MIO-ECSDE, collaborated with a local public school to engage 30 enthusiastic 10-year-olds in their first hands-on environmental initiative. These young eco-heroes didn’t just clean, they also learned through a fun and educational session about different waste types and how to separate them.
Armed with gloves, bags, and determination, the group collected from one of Athen’s public beaches an incredible amount of litter: over 1,900 plastic straws, 1,500 bottle caps, 900 plastic bottles, and 700 cigarette butts.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Mediterranean, Be2aty alumni and volunteers gathered at El Anfoushy Beach in Alexandria. Organized by our Be2aty Partner, Greenish, the cleanup kicked off with a brief session explaining the life cycle of plastic, highlighting the alarming long life of plastics in our environment. Did you know a single plastic bottle can take up to 450 years to decompose? This is the kind of fact that shocked and motivated the 40 participants, aged 15 to 26, to roll up their sleeves and take action.
For an hour and a half, they collected an impressive 57 kg of non-recyclable waste and 6,2 kg of recyclable waste. Among their findings were 1000 bottle caps and 4,000 cigarette filters, and this was a wake up call on how much work is left to be done, but also an inspiring example of what can be achieved in just a short time.
Beyond Clean-Ups
One week later, and as a follow-up to this event, we organized a joint webinar to collectively share insights, present statistics, and openly discuss any challenges faced during the clean-up efforts.
During the webinar, one thing was agreed upon by all participants: What made this clean-up special wasn’t just the amount of waste collected, it was the sense of community and purpose. The participants, both young and old, came together not just to clean the beaches but to learn, share, and grow as environmental advocates. From the eager 10-year-olds in Athens to the dedicated teens and young adults in Alexandria, every person left with a better understanding of the challenges our planet faces and the role they can play in addressing them.