Hague councilors collect more than 54 kilos of waste on the beach

Last Friday morning,  members of The Hague city council collected more than 54 kilos of litter and 1921 cigarette butts from the beach. The council members also found a number of special items, such as a discarded beach chair, a plastic children’s bath and a lace cap that was recognized as Scheveningen traditional costume.  This activity was part of  the  councillors’   annual conference.

The council members  were set to work on the beach of Scheveningen under the supervision of the organization TrashUre Hunt.   Also employees of the Hague Street Organization were also present with a some  tractors equipped with beach cleaners. They told how they use these devices to sift waste from the beach sand.

The council conference is an annual away day  for  city council members.  This council conference had the theme of Building trust.   Subjects discussed  included  the meeting order, manners, integrity and party finances.

This  was the first time that a volunteer activity was also on the program during the council conference. This was also based on an adopted motion by the SP and Hart voor Den Haag. In November 2021, these parties proposed to plan a joint volunteer activity in order to strengthen mutual cooperation.

Jan van Zanen  reflected on the council conference: “A lot has happened in the past year. The council has therefore given itself an important assignment: “Building trust”. It was the first time that we had entered into a discussion about this with the Council in this composition. It was a good session and important to spend time together in this way today, away  from the current political agenda, and from decision-making on proposals or motions in a meeting setting. I am convinced that this conference  has contributed to restoring confidence within the council. It was a frank and honest conversation and a step in the right direction. There is still work to be done.”

Foto:  Frank Jansen