TeSzedd registration extension: volunteers now have until midnight on 27 September

The deadline moved by five days. News of the TeSzedd registration extension arrived a few hours ago: the application window will not close this afternoon at four, but at midnight on 27 September 2026 – or whenever the equipment allocated to the campaign runs out. The announcement came from László Gajdos, Hungary’s minister responsible for the living environment, who cited the volume of interest as the reason.

Anyone who went to bed last night thinking they had missed their chance has a second window. It will not stay open long.

What the TeSzedd registration extension actually changes

Under the original schedule, applications would have closed at 4 p.m. on 22 September 2026. The ministerial announcement replaces that date: the new application deadline is midnight on 27 September 2026, or the point at which the available equipment is exhausted – whichever comes first.

The action week itself is unchanged: the nationwide clean-up runs from 12 to 18 October 2026, exactly as announced when the programme opened.

Registration continues to run through szelektalok.hu/teszedd.

The minister’s stated reason is the sheer number of applicants: the aim is to make room for every coordinator and volunteer who wants to take part. In his post he described TeSzedd! as having grown into a genuine movement – one where a few hours of shared work turn strangers into a team, and leave clean ground where rubbish had piled up.

The “until supplies last” clause is not boilerplate

This is the half-sentence worth taking seriously. The deadline is a double one: there is a calendar date, and there is a stock limit – and the stock often runs out first.

TeSzedd! logistics do not scale up retroactively to match demand. Gloves, sacks and ties are distributed from a pre-produced allocation, and once that allocation is committed, the system can close before the official deadline. Midnight on 27 September is a ceiling, not a guarantee.

So anyone who sees five clear days ahead is actually looking at five days at most – possibly three.

Coordinator or volunteer: which role fits?

There are two ways into the programme, and the workload differs sharply.

As a coordinator, you create a new meeting point and take responsibility for organising and running the clean-up day as the representative of a team of at least 10 and at most 200 people. You collect the equipment – which is why the registration address should be one where you can actually be reached during the day – and you deliver it to the site. Closed meeting points, open only to a single institution’s community, are also set up this way; this is the standard route for schools and kindergartens.

As a volunteer, the job is simpler: you pick one of the meeting points already advertised and show up. Organising, equipment handling and waste transport arrangements are not your responsibility.

A confirmation email follows registration, and further details are entered after logging in to the TeSzedd! Infopoint.

For secondary school students there is an additional incentive: participation counts towards mandatory community service.

What goes in the sack, and what does not

The campaign targets household-type waste that has been dumped illegally. There is, however, a list of materials that can be neither collected nor transported within the programme:

• construction and demolition debris
• paint, paint residue, paint tins
• medicines
• car batteries, motor oil, vehicle parts
• electrical and electronic equipment
• tyres
• mattresses and furniture
• green waste

If you come across any of these in the collection area, the correct response is to report rather than remove them – that is what the Hulladékradar (Waste Radar) application is for.

Transport and treatment of the collected waste is handled by a waste management operator contracted by NEÜ Zrt., with ministry support. Equipment received may be used during the action week, or in the event of weather-related postponement no later than 25 October 2026, and covers only waste collected within that window.

Our third piece on this – and the least time left

On 8 September we reported that the programme was restarting after a skipped spring season, and that applications were opening: TeSzedd 2026 registration: volunteers can apply from 8 September.

Yesterday we warned that only hours remained before the original 22 September cut-off: TeSzedd registration deadline: applications close on 22 September.

Today’s news overwrites that second warning without cancelling it. Interest is high enough that the extension is simultaneously good news for latecomers and bad news for procrastinators: the more people apply, the faster the allocation disappears.

Five days, one decision

The strength of TeSzedd! was never in the tonnage figures. It was in the fact that on a given Sunday morning, several thousand people decide not to walk past the bottles lying on the riverbank. There are still five days left to make that decision – on paper.

Registration is open at szelektalok.hu/teszedd until midnight on 27 September 2026, or while supplies last.

Frequently asked questions about the TeSzedd registration extension

When is the new deadline to apply for TeSzedd!?

The new application deadline is midnight on 27 September 2026. That is an upper limit rather than a guarantee: registration may close earlier if the equipment allocated to the campaign runs out. The original cut-off was 4 p.m. on 22 September, which the ministerial announcement replaced. Applications are submitted at szelektalok.hu/teszedd, as either a coordinator or a volunteer.

Why was the application period extended?

Because of the level of interest, according to the announcement. The organisers want every coordinator and volunteer who wishes to join to be able to do so, rather than excluding those who did not reach the registration page before the original cut-off. The extension was announced by László Gajdos, minister responsible for the living environment, on 22 September 2026.

Has the date of the action week changed?

No. The TeSzedd! action week still runs from 12 to 18 October 2026. Only the application window moved; the clean-up schedule did not. Equipment received may be used during that week, or in the case of weather-related postponement no later than 25 October 2026.

What is the difference between a coordinator and a volunteer?

A coordinator creates a new meeting point, represents a team of between 10 and 200 people, takes responsibility for organising the clean-up day, and collects and delivers the equipment. A volunteer simply joins a meeting point that has already been advertised and has no organising duties. Both roles are entered through the same registration interface.

Which types of waste cannot be collected during the campaign?

Construction and demolition debris, paint and paint tins, medicines, car batteries, motor oil, vehicle parts, electrical and electronic equipment, tyres, mattresses, furniture and green waste can be neither collected nor transported within the programme. If you find any of these in the collection area, report them through the Hulladékradar (Waste Radar) application instead of removing them.

Sources: Facebook post by László Gajdos, minister responsible for the living environment (22 September 2026); szelektalok.hu; information from the Ministry for the Living Environment.