Volunteer-based environmental cleanup events keep the local environment tidy – up to tens of thousands of Helsinki residents take part every year!

Gather a group of friends or neighbours and take part in environmental cleanup efforts! You can hold a cleanup event and pick up litter independently in the City's public areas, i.e. forests, roadsides, parks and shores. Please only collect litter that does not belong in nature and not debris such as twigs and leaves.
You can get the necessary cleaning equipment and supplies from the City, such as litter pickers and bags. The City will also take care of disposing of the litter.

For many, volunteer cleanup events in spring have become a tradition

Organising a volunteer work event is a community activity that gives you a direct opportunity to contribute to the pleasantness of your local environment. In addition to your own neighbourhood, you can also organise environmental clean-up events in other places that are important to your daily life, e.g. near your educational institution or workplace.

"Schools have always actively participated in environmental clean-up events, and a new phenomenon that has emerged in recent years is campaigns organised by businesses, in which employees are allowed to volunteer during their working hours," says Voluntary Work Coordinator Armi Koskela from the City of Helsinki Urban Environment Division.

The most popular volunteer work event sites are places that are easily accessible and visible. The local community spirit is also emphasised when residents get together to clean up their own residential area. Cleaning up forested areas, meadows and shores in particular is important for the environment, so that litter that does not belong in the environment can be removed before it causes damage.

Volunteer work events announced in different areas are shown directly on the form

Last year, a total of 189 volunteer work events were held in Helsinki, with an estimated 22,600 participants. For many people, volunteering is a communal way to contribute to the pleasantness of their local environment, and in many city districts, volunteer work events have become an established practice.

This year, the notification form will be more user-friendly, as the updated version will show any other volunteer work events announced in the area. This is to prevent overlapping, i.e. several events taking place in the same area at the same time.

If you would like to organise a volunteer cleanup event, please notify the City at least eight (8) days before the planned event date at puistotalkoot.hel.fi/en.