Clean-up campaign to conclude at Athalassa forest park

The Cyprus-wide clean-up campaign “Let’s Do It!” 2026 will conclude with a celebration at the Athalassa forest park in Nicosia on Sunday. The public event will start at 9.30am and will include an organised cleaning campaign around the park with the participation of volunteers, families, students, representatives of public bodies, as well as businesses and sponsors. According to the announcement, the campaign is Cyprus’ largest environmental and volunteer clean-up campaign and has mobilised more than 350,000 participants since 2012. Environment commissioner Elias Myrianthous said that the campaign brings together people of all ages every year. “Their contribution is essential, both in cleaning the areas and in raising awareness in society. The Commissioner’s Office has been firmly at the side of the organisers and volunteers since 2012, supporting the campaign and placing it under its auspices,” he said. Myrianthous said that uncontrolled dumping and inadequate waste management burden the environment, affect our quality of life and have an economic cost for the country. “To address this, we also need to look at our consumption habits, what we buy, how much we need and how easily we replace it. We need to limit unnecessary consumption and waste, repair and reuse what can still serve us,” he said. Meanwhile, forestry department director Savvas Ezekiel said that his department, as the competent body for the protection, management and sustainable development of the forest ecosystems of Cyprus, has consistently supported the campaign, actively contributing to the effort for a cleaner and healthier natural environment. “Environmental protection is not limited to an individual campaign, but is a collective responsibility and ongoing effort, in which the active participation of citizens is crucial,” he said. National coordinator of the campaign, Ileana Nicholson, said that “Let’s Do It!” Cyprus was more than a clean-up campaign. “It is a movement of people choosing to take action, to work together and to protect their place. Behind every clean-up are volunteers, students, teachers, organizations and partners who selflessly offer their time and energy. Without them, none of this would be possible,” she said. She said that the biggest challenge was not to collect more waste, but to reach a time where volunteers would find less garbage dumped in nature. “And this can only be achieved through education, consistency and cooperation between the state, businesses and civil society. Change is not the business of a few. It is in the hands of all of us,” she said.