Do you want to be on the environmental watch?

A joint project between the City of Hafnarfjörður and voluntary organisations for the upkeep of the town's open spaces.

The Environmental Watch is back. The project is about the upkeep and beautification of the town, and the aim, as ever, is to raise residents' environmental awareness, make the town more beautiful and increase cleanliness.  Associations and groups in Hafnarfjörður are invited to monitor the environment, i.e., to undertake the cleaning of a designated area in exchange for financial support for their activities. Only twelve groups are accepted each time.

Hafnarfjörður has been divided into twelve areas. In each area, the emphasis is on clearing rubbish and debris from main paths and main roads, streams and ponds, the shoreline, natural lava fields and open/green spaces. The groups that are selected will clean their area twice a year., once between 6 May and 5 June, and once between 1 and 27 September.

See the regional breakdown here

Who can be on duty?

All clubs, associations and groups in Hafnarfjörður are invited to apply to take part in the Environmental Watch. There is one group per area, and a total of twelve groups can partner with the town on the project. When allocating areas, the composition of the group and the nature of the area, i.e. its accessibility, will be taken into account. Each group must have a leader who will liaise with the Council's Operations Department and arrange, in consultation with them, when the clean-up will take place and how it will be carried out.  If groups composed of children or young people apply to participate (e.g. junior sections of sports clubs or scout groups), the condition is set that the group leader and a responsible adult must be an adult, and furthermore that adults work with the children during the clean-up. The reason for this is primarily safety requirements, as the clean-up will take place in areas where hazards may be present nearby, such as near roads, streams and the coast.

The accompanying information for group applications must state the following:

• Name of the association/organisation/group
• The main aims and purpose of the association
• A brief report on the activities of the past 3 years
• Number of members and age distribution (children, teenagers and adults)
• Who will do the work (if it's a children's/youth group, who will be working with them)
• How to use the strength
• Any requests for areas, if any
• Name and details of the group leader (address, telephone, email address)

Staff from the Environmental and Planning Services of the City of Hafnarfjörður monitor the work and implementation in each area, assess how the work is being carried out, and make recommendations for improvements as necessary, as well as arranging for the disposal of the rubbish. Rubbish bags are available from the Hafnarfjörður Service Centre at Norðurhellu 2, should groups request them.

The application deadline is 5 May 2017.

Applications should be sent to: ishmael@hafnarfjordur.is. 

Further information is available from the town's customer service at Strandgata 6, tel: 585-5500, and Ishmael David: ishmael@hafnarfjordur.is