Hamburg, Munich, Cologne – 26 September 2025. On World Cleanup Day, volunteers and employees of MBRC THE OCEAN and McDonald's Germany cleaned up parks and green spaces in three German cities. Together they collected around 100 kilograms of waste, which was then disposed of properly.
Three cities, one cleanup day
In each city, the teams started at a McDonald's restaurant and headed to a nearby green space: the Alter Botanischer Garten in Munich, the Friedenspark in Cologne and the Binnenalster in Hamburg. People of all ages took part – families with children, friends and colleagues.
Most of the finds were discarded light packaging, cigarette butts, bottle caps and broken glass. A few lucky cents turned up too, much to the delight of one volunteer.
"We are overwhelmed by the turnout and happy that so many people are getting involved to make the world a little better – and to draw attention to waste prevention at the same time."
– Sven Jacobi, founder of MBRC THE OCEAN
For McDonald's Germany, litter-picking rounds around its restaurants have been standard practice for many years, as company spokesperson Markus Weiß explained. Working with strong partners, he said, makes it possible to achieve even more together.
A thank-you for every helper
As a thank-you, all volunteers received goodie bags with MBRC bracelets and McDonald's vouchers. Many said that, alongside the visible result, the strong sense of community was what they took home with them.
What came next
The joint cleanups laid the groundwork for a closer collaboration: since 2026, MBRC THE OCEAN has been the official anti-littering partner of McDonald's Germany. Read more about the partnership.