On 18 September, people in 180 countries worldwide will engage in the World Clean-up Day, an annual social action with the objective of tackling the global waste problem. CERN will contribute to this effort through its “Tidy-up Week”, aimed at raising awareness about the need to reduce waste and properly sort recyclable materials.

CERN’s “Tidy-up Week” will take place between 18 and 22 October 2021.  This first pilot edition will concern the following buildings: 5, 23, 24, 31, 54, 57, 73, 93, 104, 193, 288, 513, 561, 865 and 904.

The event is carried out in collaboration with the respective Departmental Safety Officers (DSO) and Territorial Safety Officers (TSO).

What will be happening?

People working in the buildings concerned are invited to identify and sort equipment and material that they no longer need in their offices, workshops or laboratories. This includes paper, metal, wood, glass and office furniture.

Please keep in mind the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) of waste management. The full list of recyclable materials can be found here.

How does it work?

In the weeks prior to the event, our experts will help the occupants of the buildings concerned to identify and label the waste and decide on the appropriate action (storage, reuse, recycling, etc.). The date of the visit for each building will be indicated on the dedicated webpage.

During the week of the event, skips and containers will be placed near the buildings concerned for the disposal of equipment and materials. A transport team will be available to help remove the more voluminous objects. In this case, a transport request needs to be filled in beforehand (the procedure is outlined on the dedicated webpage).

And if your building isn't on the list?

This event is a pilot, and more buildings will follow in the future. If you’re interested in joining the effort, please contact the coordination group at tidyup.week@cern.ch.

Specific collection of IT equipment

In addition to this event, an ongoing campaign is being organised for the collection of IT equipment. Click here for more information on this campaign.

To protect your health and that of others please do not forget to comply with the COVID-19 related health and safety measures, such as wearing a mask and Proximeter where required.

This event is a part of the series “CERN’s Year of Environmental Awareness”.