✕ CLEAN-UP CLUB
In the rapidly developing Bajeskwartier neighborhood in Amsterdam, accumulating street waste had become a recurring frustration among residents. Rather than approaching this purely as a maintenance issue, I helped the initiative reframe cleaning as a form of community building.
The Bajeskwartier Neighborhood Clean-up Club was established as a grassroots platform that combines collective action, identity, and local participation. Alongside the clean-up events themselves, a lightweight communication ecosystem was created, including a neighborhood group chat and an Instagram archive documenting both the recurring waste problem and the collective efforts to address it.
As part of the initiative, a small “badge of honor” was developed: the Local Trash Pin. Each pin contains a fragment of locally collected waste embedded inside, transforming discarded material into a symbol of participation and shared responsibility.
Since its launch, participation and neighborhood engagement have steadily grown. Beyond cleaning public space, the initiative has become a way for new residents to meet, exchange knowledge, collaborate with HvA Living Lab students, and collectively shape the social identity of a rapidly changing neighborhood.
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The Bajeskwartier Neighborhood Clean-up Club was established as a grassroots platform that combines collective action, identity, and local participation. Alongside the clean-up events themselves, a lightweight communication ecosystem was created, including a neighborhood group chat and an Instagram archive documenting both the recurring waste problem and the collective efforts to address it.
As part of the initiative, a small “badge of honor” was developed: the Local Trash Pin. Each pin contains a fragment of locally collected waste embedded inside, transforming discarded material into a symbol of participation and shared responsibility.
Since its launch, participation and neighborhood engagement have steadily grown. Beyond cleaning public space, the initiative has become a way for new residents to meet, exchange knowledge, collaborate with HvA Living Lab students, and collectively shape the social identity of a rapidly changing neighborhood.
