(EDITOR’S NOTE: Update from Clean Up Australia as of 2 March 2022: The safety of our community is of paramount importance so we encourage you to reschedule your Clean Up in the event of bad weather. Any areas affected by heavy rain and damaging winds will need attention when it is safe for volunteers to gather outdoors.)
It’s time to Step up to Clean up! Join the Tarragindi Community Clean Up event and donate your time to clean up the environment on Sunday, the 6th of March 2022, as communities around the country observe Clean Up Australia Day.
What is Clean Up Australia?
The Clean Up Australia campaign was started by Ian Kiernan, AO, in 1989. Kiernan was a yachtsman who represented Australia in the BOC Challenge around-the-world solo yacht race in 1986-87.
During that trip, he got to see the shocking amount of rubbish that is clogging the world’s oceans. With the help of his friends, he then organised the Clean Up Sydney Harbour event in 1989 that attracted 40,000 volunteers and collected over 5,000 tonnes of rubbish. The successful event gave birth to Clean Up Australia Day in 1990.
In 1991, Kiernan was asked by the United Nations to replicate the initiative and invite the global community to get on board as well, and so the Clean Up the World operation was launched in 1993. The not-for-profit, non-government apolitical event saw more than 30 million people in 80 countries participating.
In Australia, Clean Up Australia Day has become the largest community-based event in the country, three decades after its inception, empowering communities to make a difference by cleaning up and preserving the environment for future generations.
As an organisation, Clean Up Australia works with individuals, community groups, businesses and schools across Australia providing them with free Clean Up Kit including bags, gloves, information and promotional materials, as well as public liability insurance coverage.
Why participate in the Clean Up Australia Day?
Australia’s litter problem continues to grow. Plastic wastes that the country generates alone are estimated to be around 2.5 million tonnes each year and only 13% is recovered whilst 84% is sent to landfill. Moreover, around 130,000 tonnes of this rubbish find its way into waterways and into the ocean which negatively impacts precious marine life.
Interested individuals, community groups, businesses or schools may register their clean up event or participate in the following events:
• Tarragindi Community Clean Up, Ekibin Memorial Park – 8 am -10 am, Sunday 6 March
• Middle St, Coopers Plains – 3 pm – 5 pm, Sunday 6 March
• Beryl Roberts Park, Coopers Plains – 5 pm – 6 pm, Sunday 6 March
Apart from participating in the Clean Up Australia campaign, you can do your part in keeping the environment clean by staying away from cheap products that don’t last long, avoiding single-use items, buying second-hand clothing and recycled products and fixing damaged items when possible.