Today is World Cleanup Day | 20 September 2026
#WorldCleanupDay #CleanPlateCleanCity
Today the world comes together to mark World Cleanup Day — and this year the focus is close to all of us: our plates.
Every day more than one billion meals are wasted worldwide, while millions still go hungry. Food waste clogs our cities, harms our climate, and wastes the land, water, energy and labour used to grow our food.
This year's theme is “From Clean Plates to Clean Cities”. It reminds us that the choices we make in our kitchens and markets shape the health of our neighborhoods and our cities.
According to UNEP, about 1.05 billion metric tons of food were wasted at household, restaurant and retail level in 2022 — that is about 19 percent of all food available to consumers. Most of it comes from our homes. At the same time, about 673 million people faced hunger in 2024 and over 2.3 billion faced food insecurity.
Food waste is not just waste. It generates up to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and costs the global economy about one trillion dollars each year.
But progress is possible.
Preventing waste at source, keeping edible food in use, and recovering what cannot be eaten can build cleaner, more circular and resilient cities. It supports responsible consumption, helps end hunger, protects our climate and strengthens our food systems.
World Cleanup Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2023 to be observed every 20 September, and is facilitated by UN-Habitat. The global observance this year takes place in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China.
What you can do today in Katsina and everywhere:
Value your food, buy only what you need, store food properly, share excess with neighbours, support community cleanups, and compost what cannot be eaten.
Clean plates lead to clean cities. Let’s turn awareness into action.
0 Comments