Drink containers, cigarette butts, bottle tops and food wrappers were the most common rubbish item collected in Eurobodalla on Sunday for Clean Up Australia Day.
More than 200 volunteers turned up at 40 sites and more than 1,800 students from 12 local schools took part in schools clean-up day on Friday.
Eurobodalla’s Clean Up Australia project officer Maree Cadman said the volunteers removed 180 large hessian bags and 20 cubic metres of illegally dumped rubbish from local streets, reserves, beaches and waterways.
“This figure is significantly less than last year because we didn’t have many teams cleaning up rubbish hot spots in bushland areas, however most people reported their sites to be cleaner than last year overall,” she said.
“The most common items of rubbish collected were glass, plastic and aluminium beverage containers, which is unfortunate because these are all recyclable. The most common places rubbish was found was along the sides of roads and in bushland areas.”
A team of divers battled strong currents and the turning tide to retrieve trolleys and trash from the bed of the Clyde River.
“A great deal of planning and effort went into coordinating this clean up and in the end, with the minimal time available, the group recovered six cubic metres of rubbish from the sea, which consisted primarily of shopping trolleys, chairs, glass bottles and fishing rods,” Ms Cadman said.
“A free kayak paddle along Cullendulla Creek with 10 volunteers managed to collect three full bags of rubbish and a tyre from the water and creek edges.”
Other participating groups included Long Beach Landcare, Malua Matters, Team Tomakin, Batemans Bay Quota Club International, Moruya Rotary, Nature Coast Dragonboat Club and Narooma and District Lions Club.
“A big thank you to all the volunteers who participated on the day and the local businesses and organisations that supported the Clean Up campaign,” Maree said. “We look forward to seeing you again next year.”
Above: Year 1 Broulee Public School students with a hamper donated by Sanitarium after their clean-up of Captain Oldrey Park on Friday. Pictured (from back, left to right) is Nina Millhouse, Martha Cadman-Wehner, Ella Douros, Finn Haultain, Lilli Golambus and Lennox Lassau.
Above: Batemans Bay Dive Adventures and volunteer divers from Canberra retrieved a skip bin worth of trolleys, fishing line, plastics, glass bottles, fishing rods and deck chairs from the Clyde River. Pictured is John Pring, Dean McKenzie, Belle Doure, Janelle Horsington, Jasmine O’Neill, Glen Horsington, Tess Fitzgerald and Trevor Roots. Locals Paul and Hayden McDonald also assisted with their boat to pull heavy items to shore.
Above: Durras residents and visitors were out on the hunt for rubbish during Australia Clean-up Day, volunteers walked the beaches, bushland reserves and Murramarang National Park seeking out unsightly litter. .
Above: Not many waves around on Sunday but still a couple of our local surfers at the wall for clean up Australia Day ⛰🌊🌏 photo by #offshoresurf
