Waste management is still one of the major challenges in the path towards more sustainable cities. This is aggravated when waste is not properly discarded and lays outside the conventional waste collection systems. In this context, cigarette buts are a subject of concern, even though more stringent regulation has now been approved. Moreover, the beaches, which are one of the landmarks of Aveiro region, are being used as a place to illegally discard waste, thus threatening their biodiversity and the quality of life of our fellow citizens.

In order to actively contribute to the impact mitigation of waste accumulation, the project CleanUp Aveiro promoted several events with a focus on keeping the streets of Aveiro clean by retrieving cigarette buts, as well as allocating its “Cleaning Patrol” to the beaches of Costa Nova, in the neighbor municipality of Ílhavo. This particular action, which was held on June 27, resulted in retrieving 80 kg of waste, including fishing nets, ropes, PET bottles, styrofoam, and even a used mattress. 

Moreover, on May 25, and as a result of the collaboration with Agrupamento de Escolas José Estevão, students of different ages were challenged to assume an active role in the street cleanup. This event was targeted to raise awareness within the community of the impact of the improper disposal of cigarette buts, as well as to educate the younger generations to the role of the volunteer in promoting an active citizenship.

On June 19, the CleanUp Aveiro team associated with Sport Clube Beira-Mar in their “Festival à Beira-Mar'' event, which had 15 participants. In a little more than an hour, hundreds of cigarette buts were retrieved from the streets of downtown Aveiro, which were then transported to a collecting center (“beatão”) placed at Escola Professional de Aveiro. The cigarette buts retrieved during the events were then sent to Rede Beatakí for proper treatment. Globally, during the 2022 edition of CleanUp Aveiro, more than 70 000 cigarette buts were retrieved for treatment.

Although now it is time for yearly balances and resting, CleanUp Aveiro will be returning this year with the same ambition and expectation for promoting awareness of the importance of achieving a cleaner and more sustainable city.

CleanUp Aveiro is a project of Agora Aveiro promoted in collaboration with Sport Clube Beira-Mar, Agrupamento de Escolas José Estêvão, Município de Ílhavo and Escola Profissional de Aveiro. It has also Grestel S.A. as "Main Partner" and  Rede Biatakí as "Partner". It is sponsored by Município de Aveiro and IPDJ - Instituto Português do Desporto e Juventude, I.P..