STEP UP... Clean Up Australia Day is fast approaching and Copper Coast Council is encouraging people or groups to register before Sunday, March 6. Pictured last year picking up rubbish in Wallaroo are members of the 1st Wallaroo Scout Group, April Abela, Hannah Newton, Cub Scout leader Ray Jackson, Joshua Turner, Oscar Reimann, Faith Bailey-Prouse, Tarah-Skye Coulls, Levi Macleod.
CLEAN Up Australia Day will feature a new initiative this year as thousands of people registered nationwide are being asked to ‘UNMASK’ Australia’s litter problem on Sunday, March 6.
As part of Clean Up Australia Day, participants are encouraged to count the number of masks removed from the environment and register the number as part of the Citizen Science Project.
“Plastics in disposable masks can take up to 450 years to break down and researchers have warned littered single-use masks could be releasing chemical pollutants and nano-plastics into the environment,” Clean Up Australia chairperson Pip Kiernan said.
“Disposable masks don’t belong in the environment and we are calling on volunteers to rally together and help us remove and count them and let us know the scale of the problem.” Copper Coast Council is registered with Clean Up Australia Day and five local groups have already signed up for the event.
A Copper Coast Council spokesperson said council supported the initiative and encouraged the community to get involved. “We are aware of the number of face masks appearing in gutters, along roadsides, coastal areas and other public shared areas, and this initiative will help shed some light on this issue,” the spokesperson said.
“Clean Up Australia events are usually held in March each year, but council encourages events held anytime during the year. “A registered event can be a large group keen to tidy a large road corridor or as small as an individual or family to tidy a smaller area of interest.
“The locations are limited to public community areas — not private property. “If you or someone you know is interested in establishing a registered event, please refer to council’s website.” People can look at joining an already registered event or create their own, but must do so in the next couple of weeks to process registrations and ensure cleaning kits are delivered on time.
Council will accept waste collected from registered events in public areas and community land at the Resource Recovery Centre, Wallaroo, at no charge. To make arrangements with council’s waste management team before your event, call 8828 1200.
