Gotthard Cleanup Day

Cleanup Campaign at Europe’s “Water Castle”: “Gotthard Cleanup Day” On the next World Cleanup Day, which will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, many volunteers will clean up the springs and Alpine passes. To this end, the “Gotthard-Connects” association is calling on volunteers to help with the “Gotthard Cleanup” campaign.

Every year, vast amounts of trash end up in the world’s oceans. Millions of metric tons of plastic are polluting the environment. Much of this trash reaches the oceans via rivers. Various organizations hold a cleanup day every year, during which millions of people worldwide work to rid our world of trash. The “Gotthard-Connects” association would like to contribute.

Water is the elixir of life. We should take care of our water sources!

Depending on the number of registered volunteers, this year’s campaign will focus on the Oberalp Pass and Lake Oberalp. As in previous years, divers will also be on hand to retrieve trash from the lake.

Since Lake Oberalp is a reservoir, extensive permits and safety precautions are required. The organizers expressly point out that no private diving is permitted in Lake Oberalp. On Saturday, September 19, 2026, Lake Oberalp will also be closed to fishing for safety reasons.

For the first time this year, the source of the Rhine—Lake Tuma (Lai da Tuma)—will also be included in the cleanup effort. A helicopter will be used for this operation to transport two divers and their equipment approximately 300 meters in elevation down to the lake.

The goal of the “Gotthard Cleanup” campaign is to raise awareness that trash should not be carelessly discarded—or, better yet, avoided altogether from the start!

The cleanup teams will meet individually on September 19, 2026, around 10:00 a.m. Work is scheduled to conclude around 4:00 p.m. Detailed information on meeting points, cleanup areas, and the schedule will be sent to registered participants a few days before the event.

People who would like to clean a section on their own are also welcome. Those interested are asked to register in advance so that trash bags can be provided.

You, too, can make a difference for our water and support the protection of our springs by actively participating in the cleanup and registering by September 15:

Registration: welcome@gotthard-connects.ch

Financial donations are warmly welcome: Gotthard-Connects Nonprofit Association, Andermatt IBAN CH 69 0078 5001 4113 2005 0