Thousand car loads of rubbish in the forests every year. The Presidential Couple has set an example [VIDEO]

Taking care of the environment is a part of a modern, efficient and well-functioning state – said President Andrzej Duda, who together with his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda took part on Wednesday in a forest cleaning action at the Skierniewice Forest Inspectorate (Łódzkie Voivodeship).

“We started the SprzątaMY (WE clean) campaign in 2019 in order to give a signal to the whole of Poland, to all our compatriots, to take care of the forest, the natural environment that surrounds us. To create some important elements, which in my opinion are part of a modern, efficient and well-functioning state. Such a state has not only an efficient army, services, health care system; it is such a state where people have good conditions for entertainment, where they live in a good, conducive to health and long-life atmosphere,” emphasized the president.

As he pointed out, this is not the case when we live in a littered environment and there is nothing more unpleasant than the moment when walking in the forest, we come across piles of rubbish.

“Let us remember that these pollutants are not only unpleasant for us; they penetrate the soil, into the groundwater and then are a silent polluter for us all, often for many years. That is why it is so important for us to take care of the environment, including the environment around us,” he added.

Duda reminded us of the need to teach children from an early age to take all the waste left during their stay in the forest with them and dispose of it according to the principles of segregation.

“There’s a reason why the name of the SprzątaMY campaign emphasises MY (WE). Because it’s not that someone cleans up for us – it’s us who do the cleaning,” he explained.

The President noticed that the forest near Skierniewice, which was cleaned on Wednesday by pupils, scouts, students and representatives of various services, was well maintained and one could notice the care of foresters. – I would like all forests in Poland to be clean and well-kept, including those in the most frequented places – around resorts, at the seaside, on lakes, where many tourists visit during holidays – he said.

In his speech, Duda also recalled the facts about the accumulation of waste in the environment; he said that a glass bottle remains in the environment for 500 years, similarly, the presence of plastic waste in the environment is counted in centuries.

“Our foresters collect 100,000 cubic metres of rubbish in the forests every year – that’s a thousand cars. A while ago, a forester told me that he collects 3 cubic metres of waste every month – it’s hard to imagine. If everyone took care not to leave rubbish behind, we would not only have a much more beautiful environment but there would be great savings in the State Forests because it is huge money spent every year on cleaning up after our presence in the forest,” explained the President.

In conclusion, Duda wished the children and young people taking part in the action a happy holiday and “a peaceful holiday in clean nature”.