RIGA - A massive national cleanup day to herald the arrival of spring attracted more than 110,000 volunteers across Latvia.
Volunteers collected an estimated 340,000 60-liter bags of waste from Latvia's parks, rivers, lakes, forests and road sides, as part of the annual national Great Cleanup Day event on April 18.
The Great Cleanup Day involved 834 coordinators throughout Latvia, including 392 local governments, 269 schools, 161 companies and organizations, and 12 higher educational institutions.
Individuals, who cleaned up their own homes and properties, were among the participants of this year's event, which helps promote principles of sustainable development and environmental awareness.
Latvian President Valdis Zatlers, who is a patron of the Great Cleanup Day, along with his family, also lent a hand.
Simultaneous events were held in the neighboring countries of Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and in Russia's St. Petersburg region.
Chief organizer Vita Jaunzeme said the event was established with the view to making the Baltic Sea region including Latvia the cleanest place in the world within 10 years.
"We have found the right formula for achieving this objective as the concept of this event is based on voluntary involvement in cleaning up the environment, thus encouraging unity, positive attitude and awareness of a good cause," she said.
The transportation of all the waste collected during the Great Cleanup Day is ensured centrally by local governments and admitted to waste deposit authorities without charge.
Data from waste deposit authorities and regional coordinators of this year's cleanup is currently being collated, with exact estimates expected to be tallied by the end of this month.
Latvia's first cleanup event was held on September 13, 2008 to coincide wtih Latvia's 90th Anniversary celebrations.
About 50,000 people took part in the inaugural event at 512 sites in 364 local government territories, collecting an estimated 260 thousand bags of waste.
Latvia's event is in the same vein as well known national environmental initiatives held annually throughout the world including the Clean Up Australia Day and Keep America Beautiful campaigns.
The Great Cleanup Day is organized by non-governmental organization Projekts Pedas (Project Footprints) and Tiriem meziem (For Clean Forests), in cooperation with the Chancellery of the President of Latvia, the State Chancellery, the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments, the Ministry of Environment and other partners.
