Paris holds city-wide ‘clean-up day’

Grab your gloves and garbage bags: Paris is hosting its fourth annual “clean-up day” in a bid to get locals involved in keeping the city’s streets clean.

Rubbish bins around a Parisian kiosk selling newspapers and magazines, June 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

The French capital has invited locals to participate in this Saturday’s “clean-up day”. The annual event, which began in 2014, is expected to draw hundreds of participants.

La Journée du #GrandNettoyage, c'est aujourd'hui. Rejoignez-nous dans tout Paris pour rendre notre Ville + agréable????https://t.co/1CF09TYolu pic.twitter.com/7QV2Zsz2v3

  Paris (@Paris) September 30, 2017

The event aims to involve Parisians in “cleaning up the dirtiest parts of the city”, and to “boost civic life”, according to a statement released by the city on Thursday.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took to Twitter on Saturday to thank participants.

Dans le quartier #Danube avec les Parisiens pour participer à une des 84 opérations de cette Journée du #GrandNettoyage. #Paris19 #propreté pic.twitter.com/9woNDpp7mm

  Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) September 30, 2017

City cleanliness a priority

The annual event is part of Hidalgo’s larger plans to clean up the city. Earlier this year, in an interview with French weekly Journal du dimanche, she announced the hiring of 100 additional sanitation workers and health inspectors, the extension of rubbish collection hours, and the installation of more public ashtrays. The city says its municipal workers pick up more than 150 tonnes of cigarette butts every year.

Paris has also allocated 1.5 million euros to ridding its streets of rats, following residents’ complaints and a city council statement last December that found the large number of rats posed “health, aesthetic and economic problems”. Part of the funds were used to buy rat traps and reinforce some of the city’s thousands of rubbish bins.

Want to participate in Saturday’s clean-up festivities? Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to see a map of the activities in your neighbourhood.