(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

After a weekend of celebrations and festivities, several UAE communities were left littered with silly string and other party trash.

Many residents have been sharing social media videos showing the areas where the celebrations took place and the amount of litter in the streets, expressing their disapproval of trash everywhere.

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Now, residents across the UAE have been called to join a nationwide clean-up campaign on Wednesday, December 3, inspired by a call to action from Sheikha Shamma Al Nahyan, President and CEO of Frontier25.

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Following the celebrations of the 54th UAE National Day, Sheikha Shamma took to social media to express her dismay at the litter left on the streets.“It breaks my heart to see our city trashed after such an important celebratory day,” she shared with her followers on Instagram.“In the spirit of National Day, let's clean our city.”

What followed was a rapid mobilisation that turned sentiment into action. Within hours, her office, in collaboration with Tadweer (Abu Dhabi Waste Management Company), organised the“Pride into Action” initiative. Assembly points were quickly established, and a call was put out for volunteers to help restore the beauty of their communities.

She wrote on her Instagram story alongside the locations in Abu Dhabi:“Even if you can't come to any of the locations, you can contribute by doing your part wherever you are in the UAE.”

The community responded enthusiastically: citizens, expatriates, families, and corporate teams joined the effort, equipped with gloves and bags, united in their intent to restore the city's beauty.

The clean-up, which began at 5 pm yesterday, saw volunteers tackle waste, including the particularly stubborn remnants of party sprays and silly string that had matted onto the roads, which she noted“won't come off the floor easily.”

A young schoolgirl, still in her uniform, joined the effort straight after her classes. Sheikha Shamma shared a photo of the girl, calling her“a young eco warrior straight from school.”

The business community also played a significant role, encouraging its employees to participate. She expressed her gratitude for the widespread support: "Thank you to everyone who showed up and cleaned our beautiful cities. I am overwhelmed at the level of engagement with even businesses participating with their employees."

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