COLOMBO – In an extraordinary expression of civic responsibility, more than 1,000 volunteers participated in an islandwide environmental cleanup campaign on Sunday (19), collecting over one tonne of waste as part of CleanSL 2026, a flagship initiative organized by Rotaract in RID 3220, which covers Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
The campaign was conducted simultaneously at 17 locations across the country, bringing together volunteers from more than 60 Rotaract clubs alongside community organizations, including the Negombo Recycling Club, the Zero Plastic Movement, the Climate Intelligence Network and Muve Colombo.
Cleanup operations began at 6:30 a.m. and were carried out in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Mannar, Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Matale, Kurunegala, Kandy, Badulla, Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Ratnapura, Matara and Galle.
Rotaract in RID 3220, in a statement, said volunteers collected more than 1,000 kilograms of waste, including PET plastic bottles, mixed plastics and glass.
Beyond the cleanup effort, the statement said the initiative aims to promote a circular economy by recycling the collected plastic waste into fabric that will be used to produce sports jerseys for the upcoming Rotaract Champions League.
The annual tournament brings together more than 3,000 Rotaractors from across the district to compete in a series of sporting events over four days.
Rotaract in RID 3220 described CleanSL 2026 as one of the country’s largest youth-led environmental campaigns this year, saying it demonstrates the growing role of young people in addressing environmental challenges through community action, partnerships and sustainable waste management initiatives.
They added that the campaign represents the first phase of a broader effort to promote environmental conservation and encourage responsible waste management across Sri Lanka.
-ENCL
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