Mayor of Madrid wants university students to sweep the streets

MADRID mayor Manuela Carmena, speaking at the inauguration of the 13th conference on the environment and sustainable development in Madrid, announced plans toget university students sweeping the streets on Friday October 2.

Carmena said the proposition is an aim “to implement a university social service scheme” so that university students could “help sweep up” the Spanish capital.

She went on to say that universities could themselves become “managers of the big events concerning young people” such as botellons – when young people congregate and drink in public and when, according to Carmena, “the rubbish that builds up is incalculable.” 

Carmena explained how she had recently been sent photographs by the rector of Madrid’s Complutense University, showing the rubbish-laden aftermath of a recent botellón session on campus.

“We want to do something like this to raise awareness, especially among young people that the principle of cleanliness is key to the sustainability of our society and is indicative of the need for ethical behaviour towards others; other people should not have to pick up rubbish that I produce,” she added.

Carmena alsoannounced plansto overhaul the cleaning services in Madrid by increasing the number of street cleaners by 500 and undertaking 147 ‘intensive cleans’ around the city, on top of the usual street cleaning.

Madrid City Hall posted an official statement detailing the aim that ‘by Christmas the change will be noticeable.’