We strive to engage various stakeholders in understanding the root causes of plastic waste in rivers by raising awareness. This aims to enhance their knowledge and inspire them to actively participate in the solution. We conduct regular community activities involving diverse groups within the residential areas, including men, women, children, and teenagers. These activities encompass routine river cleanups, educational workshops on minimizing household waste, interactive educational sessions with children in schools within the action zone through the River Cleanup School Program, and informal educational activities at the River School Saturday to continuously engage and reach a wider audience of children.

Our preventive efforts focus on two key aspects. Firstly, we aim to halt potential waste mismanagement by activating ecobins in schools, public spaces, and residential areas, fostering a habit of waste segregation at the source. Secondly, we conduct daily cleanup activities involving young river warriors to remove waste from rivers and illegal landfills. This collected waste is then managed and sorted at our sorting station, preventing plastic waste that has already entered rivers from flowing into larger rivers and oceans.

Our acceleration pillar is built on collaborations with partners who can assist us in expediting progress towards plastic-free rivers. This includes partnerships with academic institutions to facilitate research, design, and production of trash barriers that help us stop river waste from reaching larger rivers and oceans. We also hold regular meetings with governments to present data and best practices as part of a structured solution. This aims to provide a reference for various parties to adopt, enabling faster resolution of river waste issues.

Prioritization of intervention areas based on potential impact, effort, and scalability. A solid understanding of the problem, including root causes, river parameters, ecosystem services, current interventions, and stakeholder analysis, is key to design and implement a river-specific action plan featuring early plastic lifecycle interventions aimed at empowering people, preventing pollution, and accelerating change. This forms the baseline for continuous monitoring and impact evaluation. 

Ensure the successful execution of the Clean River Model by developing a detailed, river-specific action plan and securing the necessary funding. Based on insights from the assessment, the action plan outlines specific interventions and effective project organization to realize the deliverables and mitigate risks.

We focus on tracking the progress and effectiveness of the Clean River Model interventions by regularly monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) and evaluating outcomes against established baselines.

Have a look on the map below or at the upcoming events. Many cleanups are organized around the world. Find one close to you and join the cleanup!

Thinking about doing your own cleanup? Register it here on the website so other people can see it. You can also upload photos and share your experience with the River Cleanup community.

You can make a one-off or monthly donation or organize a fundraiser, for example for your birthday, wedding or an important sport event. Your contribution enables us to achieve our mission by cleaning rivers, change behavior and transforming organizations.