Collecting garbage as an event - local authorities invite you to a spring clean

In March and April, numerous municipalities in Saxony invite their citizens to take part in spring cleaning. The campaigns are met with great interest. Every year, thousands of people take part in clearing parks, riverbanks and green spaces of garbage and old leaves. A considerable amount of waste is collected in the process. What about this year?

Where are the spring cleaning campaigns taking place?

Campaigns are taking place almost everywhere in Saxony: In Dresden, the Elbe meadows are to be cleaned on March 28. In Leipzig, 63 spring cleaning events are scheduled in various parts of the city from March 16 to 29. From March 30 to April 28, the motto in Saxony's third-largest city is "For a clean Chemnitz".

The districts will also be cleaning up and collecting garbage. In the district of Bautzen, for example, the motto since the beginning of the month has been: "Give the garbage a basket". The local authorities provide information about the campaigns online.

How many people volunteer?

The spring clean is extremely popular - thousands of people take part. Last year, the registration list for cleaning the Elbe meadows in Dresden was closed early due to the high level of interest. A maximum of 2,000 volunteers can take part.

As of the beginning of March, almost 1,300 people had already registered in Dresden. There are many clubs, groups and individuals who take part every year. "Whether it will be necessary to close registration early cannot be predicted at this time," said the city.

In Leipzig, 3,118 participants registered for spring cleaning last year, according to the city administration.

How do the spring cleaning campaigns work?

As a rule, the municipalities or waste management companies provide garbage bags and sometimes other aids such as gloves and grabbers. The volunteers are asked to remove garbage and litter from public areas. The filled garbage bags are then transported away by the cleaning companies.

How much garbage is collected during the collections?

The volunteer garbage collectors collect mountains of garbage. Last year, 6.4 tons ended up in the garbage bags on the Elbe meadows, according to the city of Dresden. A particularly large amount of picnic and barbecue waste was found - from disposable barbecues, chip bags and bottles to crown caps, cigarette butts and disposable cups.

In Leipzig, the 210 cubic meters of garbage collected in 2025 also included bulky items. Among other things, eight electrical household appliances and 38 tires were found.