In the first three months of this year, the number of Environmental SOS messages has increased significantly

In the first three months of this year, 1105 Environmental SOS messages have already been received, which is almost half more than last year in this time period. Of all the reports received, approximately 75% are about littering the environment with various types of waste, the State Environmental Service (VVD) reports on the eve of the Great Cleanup.

Also this year, similarly to the previous one, residents of Riga and Pieriga have reported the most actively in the Environmental SOS app, and the municipalities and forest managers of these administrative territories have also actively dealt with the received reports. According to VVD data, less than 40% of the reports received this year have already been resolved, in other words, the contaminated areas have been cleaned and returned to their natural state.

VVD encourages cleaners, when cleaning up forests and roadsides, not only to collect discarded waste, but to sort it immediately, thus giving the opportunity for the collected waste to have as little impact on the environment as possible, taking into account that part of the waste can be recycled.

“If we succeed in raising public awareness and eradicating environmental littering, it would give an opportunity in the coming years not to fight with littered areas, but to improve and beautify the environment around us in the coming years. To help the environment to recover by planting trees, bushes or to improve the landscape in some other way,” said Laura Anteina, Deputy General Director of VVD for strategic development and control issues, about the desired future direction.

VVD invites you to download the Environmental SOS application on your phone when you go to clean up and report any construction debris or bulky waste found in nature. Those cleaners who already have the Environmental SOS app on their phones should also make sure that the latest available version of the application is downloaded in order to successfully submit a report.