Craig Morris says he and his wife can easily collect a garbage bag full of rubbish every single time they take one of their regular walks up Mt Keira Rd.
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And that's just going by the rubbish they find by the side of the road - look a little deeper into the bush and another level of detritus becomes apparent.
Fast food containers, as per usual, tossed by passing drivers, and alcohol bottles are the clear leaders in terms of a roadside presence.
Mr Morris, a leadership coach, said the level of rubbish dumped was beyond acceptable.
"Each time we go up there we take a garbage bag and we could walk up there two or three times a week and each time we come back with a garbage bag full," he said.
We could walk up there two or three times a week and each time we come back with a garbage bag full
- Craig Morris
Another rider, Brendan Reilly, had posted on the mountain biking Facebook page Wollongong MTB Trails showing the amount of rubbish he and his daughter had collected in a day.
It drew such strong support that Mr Morris decided to tap the power of the people and organise a clean-up.
"When there's that much support all you need is for someone to say 'I'll organise something' and it comes together," he said.
"Within 24 hours of putting the post up I had over 40 people volunteering, and within a few days probably 60 including some families that are going to come along.
"It's predominantly alcohol, soft drink, fast food. There's lots of KFC and Macca's packaging. Further in the bush, 5-10m from the road, there's also a lot of rubbish that we can't get to and it's too much for us to carry.
"So the thought is we'll do Mt Keira Rd, Queen Elizabeth Dr, Harry Graham Dr and Clive Bissell Dr, and do the roadside as well as the walk trails around those areas."
Mr Morris said there were occasions mountain bikers left rubbish behind, but these were usually pointed out quickly on the MTB trails page and dealt with.
"The mountain biking community generally is pretty good," he said. "There's always some people that do less than ideal things but it's generally a really great community. We've built the momentum up so off we go."
He is hoping to set a date late in August, depending on when lockdowns are lifted. People who are keen to help can email Mr Morris on cmorrymtb@gmail.com
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Ben Langford
Senior journalist writing on the environment. Opinion columnist, independent. We rely on your news tips so please, don't be shy to let us know what's going on.
Senior journalist writing on the environment. Opinion columnist, independent. We rely on your news tips so please, don't be shy to let us know what's going on.
