Bicommunal cleanups held in Nicosia for World Cleanup Day

Two parallel bicommunal rubbish cleanups were held on either side of Nicosia for World Cleanup Day on Friday.

A total of 80 volunteers gathered in Cyprus’ divided capital city, supported by environmental campaign groups Let’s Do It Cyprus and the Green Action Group as well as the United States Embassy in Nicosia.

Let’s Do It Cyprus said the volunteers “gathered … to help us clean the streets but also to promote peace between the two communities”.

Among the volunteers in the north was Turkish Cypriot opposition party CTP ‘MP’ Sami Ozuslu, with people taking rubbish bags and picking up litter between the Buyuk Han and the Ledra Palace hotel.

The parallel cleanup in the Republic also centred on the old town, with British Deputy High Commissioner Ben Rawlings among those helping in the effort.

The two groups of volunteers met at the Home for Cooperation in Nicosia’s buffer zone, where they were served food and drinks.

World Cleanup Day is an international initiative aimed at “creating lasting societal change in behaviour around mismanaged waste”. The day’s organisers estimate that there are around 91 million participants in 211 countries and territories worldwide.