Homeless persons help clean the largest illegal dump in Olomouc

The action also helps them regain valuable work skills

Homeless people from Olomouc are once again involved in protecting and preserving cleanliness of the Czech city. This time, a group of eight people helped clean an illegal landfill of 150 tons. The initiative is widely popular and is seen as beneficial to the city, its inhabitants and the homeless.

A cleaning initiative with multiple benefits

A group of eight clients of the Caritas foundation helped clean a black dump in Černá cesta locality, considered the largest illegal landfill in the city. The members of the brigade are all working voluntarily, but it is believed that the action has noticeable advantages for their social integration and work prospects.

In particular, the point is for the homeless to regain basic work habits such as persistence, coordination, teamwork and leadership, and to overcome social barriers. Thanks to the same program, homeless people were already involved in cleaning sidewalks in the city in the summer.

“The landfill was created on city land. Together with the technical services, we cleaned it up and at the same time used other opportunities to involve homeless people in the cleaning. This is another part of the project that I initiated, and together with Caritas they tested it last year. It offers the public a different view of the problems of homeless people and gives them the opportunity to work", explained Mayor Mirek Žbánek, quoted on the municipal portal.

Finally, the action has important value for the city as well: not only does it make it cleaner, but it saves the local budget vast sums of money. "At the beginning of November, we have disposed of waste in the amount of one hundred and fifty tons, and we are approaching hundreds of thousands in the cost of disposal," explained Deputy Mayor Otakar Bačák.

He also reminded that the collected waste is also considered a black dump, and its removal costs the city budget a lot of money. The liquidation of an ordinary small landfill would cost forty thousand crowns (approximately 1,500 euros) while every year the city sets aside hundreds of thousands of Czech korunas for this purpose, money that can be spent more efficiently elsewhere, especially in the times of Covid-19.