Community and schools participating in Clean Up Australia Day

Schools, community groups, council employees, businesses and individuals swing into action at the end of February to clean up parks, streets, bushland, beaches and waterways as part of Clean Up Australia Day.

“If we were all more careful to dispose unwanted or used items in the proper manner, via the recycling or rubbish bin or at our local transfer station, Clean Up Australia Day would not be necessary,” said Mr Ellis, Chair of Gippsland Waste and Resource Recovery Group.

“Many of the items ‘discovered’ in the cleanups since the initiative started in 1989 could have been delivered for FREE to a metals recycler or transfer station.

“The event reminds us of the effort and cost required once the material is released into the environment and makes its way into our local bushland and waterways,” Mr Ellis said.

Gippsland Waste and Resource Recovery Group is the lead agency for ResourceSmart Schools in Gippsland - a program that helps schools benefit from embedding sustainability into everything they do, including reducing waste to landfill.

The group is encouraging schools involved in the ResourceSmart Schools program to participate in the Schools Clean Up Australia Day acitivities on Friday, March 3rd and to link the activity to lessons related to water, energy, packaging, waste and recycling.

Mr Ellis said: “Students learn how their actions can affect the environment in both positive and negative ways and by undertaking energy, water and waste saving practices, with the assistance of our facilitators, the schools can save on utility bills.”

Community members and businesses interested in participating in Clean Up Australia Day can register with their local council while schools can register their participation at www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au

For further information on how your school can become involved in ResourceSmart Schools contact the Gippsland coordinator, Alison Taylor at Alison.Taylor@gwrrg.vic.gov.au or 0409 879 910.