I recently volunteered with the City Friends Club in Limassol for a trash cleanup event. The City Friends Club is a non-profit organisation that holds monthly volunteer-led cleanups. The event on July 13 was one such meetup, and this time, we were to gather at the far end of the Yermasoyia reservoir and the nearby Akrounta Public Park.
This was my second time attending such an event. My first experience was in May, when I went as a journalist. This time, however, I was in the figurative trenches with the volunteers, picking up refuse.
Due to the peak summer heat, the predetermined meetup time was set for 8.30am instead of the usual 10am. This was for our benefit, of course, as collecting litter from 10am to noon in Cyprus’ heat, with the sun bearing down on us, is no small feat and might even violate numerous labor laws (if not the Universal Declaration of Human Rights).
When I arrived, several things immediately stood out to me. The water level at the reservoir was alarmingly low. You could clearly see the lines marking where the water level had been, where it was recently, and where it is now. Secondly, a very brave volunteer had arrived at the event riding an electric scooter.
Making my way down to the meeting location, I immediately recognised some people from my previous visit. Everyone who I met at the previous cleanup and who were here today remembered me, which was a wonderful feeling. It made me feel like part of a wider community, and that my presence here mattered and was appreciated.
We were told that since the water levels at the reservoir were so low, a lot of trash that people had thrown into the reservoir was now exposed. Therefore, it was most important to collect trash near or at the water level because when the water rises again (hopefully…), it would not swallow up the trash again.
So, with trash bags and trash pickers in hand (and SPF 50 sunscreen applied), my friend – who had promised to join me if I participated – and I set off to collect what others had discarded.
It started predictably enough: beer cans, water bottles, cigarette butts, and various food packaging. However, it took a turn for the worse when we came upon a solitary bush that was absolutely covered with wet wipes.
This is when intrusive thoughts took over. Picking each wet wipe individually, it was impossible not to think about what they were used for. Yes, the trash picker and gloves provided by the event organisers helped, but I wondered if maybe we should also have been given biohazard waste disposal bags – or perhaps a handheld incinerator (flamethrower?).
Speaking of flames, the most unnerving part of this cleanup was the numerous black patches of burned ground. Some were out in the open, while others had bricks around them. Clearly, people had come here to start impromptu campfires and BBQ pits. On a windy day like this one, it was easy to picture an errant ember flying into the dry vegetation and sparking an out-of-control fire.
While collecting trash, my friend and I helped pass the time by talking about everyday topics and our summer plans. Before I knew it, we had filled three trash bags to the brim, and it was time to return to the meeting point. It felt like we had been out there for 30 minutes, but nearly two hours had passed.
As we made our way back, we were informed that a particularly adventurous pair of volunteers had discovered a veritable treasure trove of trash and needed help bringing it back. They had found an upside-down umbrella filled with bags of trash and bulky waste. Three of us picked up the umbrella and carried it over difficult ground, including tight ledges and parched earth where water had been until recently.
We were greeted with a round of applause back at the meeting point. Even though all I did was help carry it, it was difficult not to feel a sense of pride.
As with all City Friends Club volunteer meetups, it was time for the family photo—when the event organisers and volunteers gather for a group photo next to all the waste they collected that day. The last time I was here as a journalist, the group asked me to join them for the photo, even though I had not picked up a single item of trash. I did join in, but it felt like I didn’t really deserve to be there. The photo felt like something earned, not given.
This time around, I proudly took my place, knowing that I had helped contribute to this cleanup, just like everyone else in that photo. The 84 bags of general waste, 37 bags of PMD waste, and 300 kilograms of bulky waste were testament to that.
