October 24th, 2017 will mark the 2017 International Clean Up Day, the largest and longest-run clean-up project in Israel. The project is run by the Keren Kayemet Le’Israel-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) for the 17th year, and is marked by 120 countries around the world. KKL-JNF, together with different bodies including youth movements, the IDF, local authorities and schools, have come out in masses to clean up Israel’s parks and forests.
Clean-up day is the largest environmental project being held in Israel, and is run in cooperation with the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel and the Center of Regional Councils across the state of Israel. Clean-up day will take place all around Israel, throughout the day there will be different clean-up activities and gatherings held in Israel’s parks and forests. Around 250,000 volunteers in Israel are expected to take part in collecting hundreds of tons of trash and polluting waste.
Among the authorities taking part in the 2017 Clean-Up Day:
North – Nazareth Illit, Tiberias, Ilut Local Council, Mateh Asher Regional Council, Gilboa Regional Council and more.
Center – Emek Lod Regional Council, Mateh Yehuda, Gezer Regional Council, Menashe Regional Council, Gezer/Mishmar David, Nahal Sorek Regional Council, Mazkeret Batya, Ramla, Kiryat Ono, Modiin, Maccabim Reut, Ramat Gan, Lev Hasharon, Kochav Yair and Tzur Yigal, Zichron Yaakov and more.
South – Be’er Sheva, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Arad, Dimona, Yeruham, Sderot, Kiryat Malachi and more.
In a study KKL-JNF conducted with the Geocartography Institute, it was found that the majority of Israelis travel in parks and forests (85%), and less than five percent of them leave their trash during their trip. On the other hand, the study points to a decrease in young people’s opinion of the importance of keeping nature sites clean and protecting wildlife. For this reason, among others, the objectives of this project are to call citizens to action in a shared effort to protect the environment, to strengthen the tie between the public and nature, and to encourage personal responsibility in maintaining cleanliness.
Gilad Mastai, KKL-JNF Coast and Plain Regional Director: “There is great improvement in the Israeli public’s behavior in collecting trash after themselves when compared to previous years. We can see that the presence of KKL-JNF professionals in parks and forests throughout the year, who pass out trash bags as well as inform and educate on cleanliness, contributes to the raised public awareness on joining the efforts in maintaining cleanliness.”
As part of Clean-Up Day activities, on Friday, October 27th, a clean-up event will take place for cyclists, under the name “Biking and Cleaning”. During the event, KKL-JNF volunteers will meet cyclists at the Alon Hagalil single-track bike trail and will brief them on picking up waste along the trail.
KKL-JNF believes that the way to change the Israeli public’s littering habits is through cleaning operations involving teens and volunteers. Therefore, KKL-JNF prepared a wide variety of events on International Clean-Up Day in which over 250,000 participants including children, students, soldiers, youth groups and members of all sectors will volunteer in over 220 municipalities in forests, parks, and open spaces across Israel. KKL-JNF invites the general public to join and take an active part in cleaning up the state of Israel together.
For details and registration for Clean-Up Day:
Forest Hotline: 1-800-350-550
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