On September 21, World Cleanup Day, beach part of Buzovna village was cleared from the waste within the framework of a large-scale ecological campaign called “Let`s Protect the Caspian Sea”. Representatives of large companies, government agencies, various organizations and hundreds of volunteers took part in the action.
The action was jointly organized by Coca-Cola, Bakcell, PASHA Bank with the support of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of Azerbaijan, ASAN Volunteering School, State Advertising Agency, Embassies of US and European Union countries. Nargis magazine employees also actively participated in the event.
As part of the action, more than 600 people cleared the coastal territories from three tons of garbage. 1815 kg of food products, building materials and glass, 211 kg of plastic, 30 kg of cardboard and paper, 15 kg of plastic bags were collected.
The organizers provided all participants with transport, sports shirts, soft drinks, food and the necessary cleaning products. Part of the collected household waste was sent for recycling, the remaining waste was sent to the Balakhani waste incinerator.
It should be noted that many countries around the world celebrate World Cleanup Day on September 21, and this is considered to be the largest volunteering movement to clean the coastal areas from the garbage. Azerbaijan has been participating in this international environmental campaign for nine years. For nine years, after the end of the beach season, Coca-Cola, together with numerous partners in Azerbaijan, has been cleaning coastal areas of household waste and encourages people to be more careful about the environment. “We are pleased that Azerbaijan annually actively participates in this international movement, thereby contributing to the cleanliness of the Caspian Sea,” said Elshad Farzaliev, Coca-Cola's PR and Communications Manager for the Caucasus Region.
“Every year we observe the active participation of people, in particular, young people, in this environmental campaign, and this cannot but rejoice us. This is not just an environmental action, but also a great environmental holiday, ”said Suheila Jafarova, head of the Bakcell PR and corporate communications department.
The head of the volunteering sector of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sahil Mammadli, noted the contribution of such projects to the development of youth: “Every year the number of volunteers is growing. The participation of 500 ASAN volunteers in the current campaign is an obvious indicator of youth’s interest in environmental projects. ”
Over the past nine years, as a result of similar one-day actions from about 45 hectares of the coastal zones of the Caspian Sea, about 35 tons of household waste has been removed. All collected waste is recorded, and information is sent to the international organization Ocean Conservancy and is reflected in international reports on countries that cleanse the world's water bodies.
