Hordes of volunteers are expected to turn out at Wollongong’s beaches, reserves, roadways and parks this weekend as part of the city’s annual Clean Up Australia Day.
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Marking Wollongong’s 28th year of participation in the national rubbish pick-up day, there will be 19 different registration points from Helensburgh to Windang where people can sign up.
Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery urged residents to get involved and not “take our home and wildlife for granted”.
“At least 50 million plastic bags end up as litter on Australia’s beaches, streets and parks every year, and it greatly affects our marine and bird life,” he said.
Other clean-up events being held in Wollongong across the weekend include a Sydney Water run event called Beat the Bottle.
Combining music with a clean-up message, the event will take place at North Wollongong beach and involves local groups Plastic Free Wollongong and Responsible Runners.
True Vibenation DJs will provide a sound track from 12-3pm, and food and refreshments on hand for the clean-up volunteers.
All participants will receive a stainless steel insulated water bottle to encourage them to think twice about buying bottled water in future.
Plastic Free Wollongong’s Andy Gray said he hopes the event will encourage fewer people to use single-use plastics.
“We’ve received an overwhelming support for the Plastic Free Wollongong initiative and we’re really looking forward to engaging more with the community and business about the alternatives to single-use plastics, and inspiring behavioural and purchasing changes to reduce plastic pollution at its source,” he said.
Why clean up?
- Approximately 480 billion plastic bottles were sold globally in 2016 – that’s the equivalent of a million bottles per minute. Less than 50% of these bottles are collected for recycling.
- NSW and Queensland are among the nation’s biggest tossers – offsetting litter improvements in the rest of the countr
- Globally, there are around 8 million metric tonnes of plastic going into the oceans each year
- According to the UN, by 2050 it is estimated there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish.
- It takes up to seven litres of water and one litre of oil to produce one litre of bottled water.
- Most water bottles end in landfill accounting for 38% of the total rubbish volume.
Wollongong’s clean-up registration points
Saturday March 3
- Gilba Road, Dapto (near Baseball Field), 8am-1pm
Sunday March 4
- Burning Palms SLSC, 11am- 1pm
- Old Doctor Surgery, Parkes Street, Helensburgh, 10am-1pm
- Tennis Courts, Otford, 9am-12noon
- Coalcliff SLSC, 10am- 5pm
- Coledale SLSC, 10am-12noon
- Sylvan Way Fire Trail, Thirroul (gate near 49 Foothills Road), 9am-11am
- Whartons Creek, Bulli (meet at bridge between Artis and Benelong Streets), 9am-12noon
- Bellambi Beach, 10am-1pm
- Bellambi Lagoon (meet on bike track between Thalassa and Connaghan Street East Corrimal), 8am-11am
- Mt Keira Lookout, 9am-11am
- Puckey’s Estate, North Wollongong (near the boardwalk), 9am-12noon
- Galvin Park, North Wollongong (near North Beach SLSC), 12noon-3pm
- City Beach Marine Drive, North Wollongong, 9am-1pm
- Bushland opposite 45 Gooyong Street, Keiraville, 9.30am-11am
- Nan Tien Temple, Berkeley Road, Berkeley, 11am-12noon
- Boat Ramp, Berkeley (near Fish Market), 9am-11am
- Illawarra Rowing Centre, Lake Illawarra, Windang, 10am-12noon
- Windang foreshore near playground and boat ramp, 8.30am- 11.30am
- McDonalds, at Woonona, Fairy Meadow, Wollongong, Figtree, Dapto and Warrawong, 9am-5pm
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
