On Sunday, the 19th of July 2026, the shores, the streets, and the public spaces and communities of Sri Lanka witnessed an extraordinary expression of civic responsibility as CleanSL 2026, the flagship environmental initiative of Rotaract in RID 3220 – Sri Lanka & Maldives, unfolded simultaneously in 17 locations across the island.
Bringing together more than 1,000 volunteers representing over 60 Rotaract Clubs and supported by wider community partners, such as the Negombo Recycling Club, the Zero Plastic Movement, the Climate Intelligence Network, and Muve Colombo, the campaign stands as one of the largest environmental movements organized in the country this year.
Cleanup operations took place across Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Anuradhapura, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Mannar, Matale, Kurunegala, Kandy, Badulla, Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Matara, Ratnapura, and Galle, with volunteers commencing activities from 06:30 AM onwards; collecting over 1000kg of waste materials including PET plastics, mixed plastics, and glass.
Yet, the initiative was far more than a single morning of waste collection. Through meaningful partnerships and the utilisation of modern technology, Rotaract in RID 3220 hopes to convert the collected waste materials into fabric; which will be used for printing sports jerseys for Rotaract Champions League which gathers 3000+ Rotaractors to participate in diverse tournaments throughout a 04 day period.
Continuing to demonstrate the collective strength of young people working together to address some of the nation’s most pressing environmental challenges, the foremost phase of CleanSL fulfilled the vision of a greener, cleaner tomorrow for the island nation we call home.
