Beach Clean-Ups in Dubai: How to Join Clean UAE and Municipality Volunteer Drives

The 25th Clean UAE campaign, run by the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG), starts in Dubai on 5 December 2026 and finishes in Abu Dhabi on 15 December. Dubai Eye 103.8 reports that the campaign has drawn more than 1.14 million volunteers since 2007 and removed more than 1.75 million kg of waste from beaches, deserts, wadis, mangroves and parks. Here is how to join it, and the other official routes into beach and coastal clean-ups in Dubai.

Clean UAE 2026: the dates

The dates are from Dubai Eye 103.8 (September 2026) and match EEG's own campaign page, which gives 5–15 December. The Dubai site had not been announced when we checked. Not every leg is on the coast. The 2025 Dubai leg was held in the Bur Ruwayyah desert area with Dubai Municipality, where 8,500 volunteers cleared more than 12km of terrain and collected 7,970kg of waste (Gulf News, December 2025).

How to take part

EEG's campaign page invites organisations to confirm their participation through a registration form on the page. Organisations can choose the emirate that suits them. Past participants include government entities, companies, schools, universities, community groups and volunteers. EEG's page doesn't give a separate sign-up route for individuals, so:

• ask whether your employer, school or community group is registering a team; or
• contact EEG directly on +971 4 344 8622 or eeg@emirates.net.ae.

Dubai Municipality clean-ups

Dubai Municipality runs community clean-ups under its "An Hour with the Cleaning Worker" campaign, which has run since 2017. In the first half of 2023, the municipality said, 4,791 volunteers from 62 government, corporate and civil organisations took part at beaches, markets, residential and desert sites, collecting 9.4 tonnes of waste. Organisations join by coordinating directly with the municipality for their teams.

The volunteers add to the municipality's own beach crews. In July 2023 it described an 84-person team working three shifts a day across more than 19km of public beaches.

Finding individual roles

Volunteers.ae, the national volunteering platform, lists opportunities you can filter by emirate, organisation and category. Hours you complete through the platform are recorded and certified. Our guide to volunteering in the UAE covers registration and the documents you need.

Organising your own clean-up

Dubai's 2018 volunteering law requires prior permission for volunteer work, as Gulf News reported in 2019, and the Community Development Authority (CDA) handles registration. If you plan to gather friends or neighbours for a beach clean-up, check with the CDA first.

Before you go

• Clean UAE registration is through EEG's online form, aimed at organisations; ask your workplace or school.
• Check the location: Clean UAE legs can be in the desert as well as on the coast.
• Sign up through Volunteers.ae if you want the hours recorded.
• Get CDA permission before running an independent group clean-up.
• For local groups, see the Directory.

For general information. Dates and registration routes can change; check with the Emirates Environmental Group or Dubai Municipality before relying on them.