On July 30, we visited a forest area near Tomasza Nocznickiego Street in Warsaw, where together with 23 Google volunteers we organized a forest cleanup as part of a corporate volunteering initiative. The result of our joint effort was 30 full bags of waste collected from among the trees and undergrowth.
A forest that hid more than we expected
At first glance, the area near Nocznickiego Street looks like an ordinary patch of urban forest, but it only took stepping a little deeper among the trees to see how much waste had accumulated there over the years. The amount of waste collected exceeded our initial estimates, which only confirms how easy it is to overlook a problem until you actually go and look, bag in hand.
Commitment that makes a difference
The Google volunteers approached the task with full commitment from the first to the last minute of the cleanup. It was thanks to their work that we managed to collect as many as 30 bags of waste in a single day, an outcome that directly translates into the health of the local environment.
Why it’s worth returning to the forest regularly
Waste left among the trees doesn’t disappear on its own. Some of it, like plastic or glass, can remain in the soil for decades, endangering both vegetation and wildlife that may become entangled in it or ingest dangerous fragments. Regular cleanup efforts, like this one near Nocznickiego Street, are one of the simplest ways to ensure an urban forest can fulfill its role: purifying the air, protecting biodiversity, and giving residents a place to relax that’s free of litter.
Litter in the forest during summer – a bigger threat than it seems
High temperatures make waste left in the forest considerably more dangerous than during cooler seasons. Glass bottles and jars can act like magnifying lenses concentrating sunlight – in dry summer forest undergrowth, it only takes a moment for that effect to spark a fire. This is one of the most serious, yet often underestimated, risks associated with discarded glass in the forest.
High temperatures also speed up the decomposition of organic waste and food scraps, drawing wild animals to places they wouldn’t normally venture into, disrupting their natural foraging patterns and increasing their risk of contact with substances harmful to them. Plastic packaging heated by the sun releases microplastics and chemical substances more quickly, which can seep into the soil and groundwater.
Heatwaves are also a time when animals and insects search more often for water and shelter in less obvious places. Plastic packaging, cans, or bottles that collect rainwater can become traps or a source of standing water that encourages mosquitoes and other pests to breed. On top of that, the sharp edges of cans and broken glass, heated by the sun, pose a greater risk of injury to both wildlife and people visiting the forest.
This is exactly why regular forest cleanups, especially during the summer months, matter well beyond simple aesthetics. They are a genuine preventive measure that reduces the risk of fires, protects the health of wildlife, and limits soil and groundwater contamination.
Thank you!
We would like to thank the Google team for the time, energy, and commitment they brought to this cleanup. Initiatives like this show that even a single day of joint effort can make a real difference to the state of the local environment. See you at the next cleanup!
