How Estanc cleaned Paldiski
This year’s Estanc’s Mission Day took place on September 15. This is the fourth time, we have organized an event like that. In previous years, we have landscaped the surroundings of the Jüri factory, built the Pildiküla village square, and last year we helped the Estonian Wildlife Association to build necessary cages for the treatment of wild animals. This year we decided to clean Paldiski as part of the World Cleanup Day.
Paldiski is a port town on the Pakri peninsula, in Harju County, known for its beautiful views and lighthouses. This small city is significant for Estanc, because we had our first rental factory there, where we built the reactors for our Metsä project. We really wanted to give something back to this developing city. Unfortunately, there is a lot of garbage in the heart of this lovely town, so an idea was born – let’s cleanup Paldiski as part of the 2022 World Cleanup Day!
On the morning of September 15, we set off to Paldiski. We also took two large trailers with us, where we could comfortably throw the garbage collected from the forest. When we got there, we split into two groups. A larger team of nearly 40 people cleaned the area around the Põhja 2 property. Paldiski’s Government had organized two containers there, which were filled without any problems. In fact, there was a lack of space, as the forest was full of a large variety of household items: refrigerators, microwaves, window glasses, stoves, etc.
A smaller group of about ten people cleaned Ida Street behind the Guard Battalion. People on Ida Street lifted the trash into the Estanc’s trailer, which was later emptied into a container on the Põhja 2 property. All recyclable and hazardous waste was collected separately, and in total we cleaned about 50 cubic meters of garbage. We managed to clean a lot, but we have to admit, that there is still a lot of trash left to clean. Nevertheless, the general picture certainly changed a lot, and the locals will now have a much nicer time promenading there.
The wonderful employees of the Paldiski Government also took part in the cleaning operation. For lunch, we gathered in their beautiful seminar rooms, where we ate lunch together, talked a bit, and could reflect on the importance of waste management. In the afternoon, we drove back to our Jüri office with a good feeling. We were pleased that we could give something back to this lovely town.
Estanc’s vision is to be a part of building a sustainable world while creating better lives for everyone. A sustainable world must preserve the well-being of society, while preserving and restoring nature. It was really cool to see that our people really believe in it. Cleaning Paldiski was certainly not easy, but all participants did it with incredible enthusiasm and a sense of mission. We are lucky to have such good and ambitious people working at Estanc!
