Volunteering with TounesCleanUp: Belvédère Action Report

_{Edited By FileCollage}
Hello steemians,

I spent my Sunday off volunteering with friends from TounesCleanUp and the Association des Amis du Belvédère, working together with Soli Green and partners to clean a section of the Belvédère park near the zoo. What began as a simple meetup turned into a careful, organized effort to remove pollution, separate what can be recycled, and return a little more beauty to our public space. Below I share how we worked, how we sorted, and what we collected with photos from the field.

What we did:

We formed a small, motivated crew and divided the work so every zone was covered. Our primary goals were to collect visible trash, sort recyclables from non-recyclables on site, and remove glass safely so collectors can handle it properly. Working together we made the effort faster, cleaner, and more useful for the recycling chain.

Teamwork & Sorting system:

To speed up sorting and make the collected material immediately usable for recyclers, we split into three teams and used a simple color-coded system:

White bags : Recyclables (clean plastic bottles, cans, paper, etc.)
Black bags : Non-recyclable waste (dirty plastics, mixed trash, soiled items)
Buckets : Glass (bottles and jars handled separately because of safety and different recycling streams)

My personal mission was to collect and rinse as many plastic bottles and cans as possible, and make sure they went into the white bags. On-site sorting saves recyclers time and increases the chance that materials will actually be processed instead of landfilled.

_{Collected plastic bottles, one of many recyclable items}

Action, Rhythm & a Short Break:

We moved methodically across the area, clearing paths, pulling waste from under shrubs, and gathering litter from corners that are often missed. After a few rounds we took a short break to hydrate, regroup, and take photos small pauses that keep the team going and let us check progress.

_{Team break, grateful for every volunteer who showed up.}

Final result, What we collected:

At the end of the session we weighed and counted everything. The numbers were both shocking and motivating proof that many hands make a real difference.

31 sacks of non-recyclable waste (≈ 8 kg / sack) → 248 kg
7 sacks of recyclables (≈ 4 kg / sack) → 28 kg
54 buckets of glass (≈ 12 kg / bucket) → 648 kg
Total collected: 924 kg of waste

_{924 kg removed, proof that many small efforts add up}

This work is ongoing, the site will recover little by little as more volunteers join and as the city and recycling partners handle the sorted materials. A huge thank you to every volunteer who came out: your time, your gloves, and your care made this possible. If you can, join the next action bring a friend, bring water, and bring good shoes. Together we help the Belvédère shine again.

Best Regards,
@marwene