Grant Higginson and Denis Hawke were the only two to turn up at Wagga Wagga’s Clean Up Australia Day event. Photos: Marguerite McKinnon.
Sunday (2 March) marked the 35th annual Clean Up Australia Day, but of the 800,000 people who attended events across the nation, Wagga Wagga reported only two – the organisers of the city’s only listed event.
“It’s disappointing,” Wagga event organiser Grant Higginson said after noticing an unacceptable amount of rubbish, especially in waterways, while fishing.
“Fewer people seem to be interested in the community and giving up just a few hours on a Sunday to do something to benefit the community, but you know, people have got their own stuff on, I suppose.”
Clean Up Australia Day, launched by environmental campaigner Ian Kiernan in 1990, encourages volunteers to pick up and dispose of rubbish in their local community one Sunday each year.
Clean Up Australia Day organisers Grant Higginson and Denis Hawke and the rubbish they collected.
“The funny thing is, we get people slowing down in cars and saying, ‘Good on you for cleaning up’ before driving off, when they could easily get out and help,” Mr Higginson said.
Fellow organiser Denis Hawke joined Mr Higginson at Eunony Reserve, and while no-one else showed up, the two managed to collect a surprising amount of rubbish in just one hour’s work.
“People have come in with trailers and dumped mattresses, an old boat, car tyres, TVs,” Mr Higginson said. ”There’s actually two bags of asbestos over there that we haven’t touched that we have to get Wagga Wagga City Council to come and get.”
A dumped car battery found on the Murrumbidgee River.
Messrs Higginson and Hawke are keen fishermen and belong to OzFish, a not-for-profit national organisation dedicated to helping millions of Aussie recreational fishers improve the health of rivers, lakes and estuaries, and practise sustainable fishing.
“It’s just disgusting to see people dumping rubbish,” Mr Higginson said. ”These areas are here for public use, not public abuse, so, yeah, it just sucks to see that some people don’t do the right thing.”
Fast-food packaging is an environmental nightmare.
Mr Hawke said while this year’s clean-up turnout was poor, previous years had been successful.
“We took six tonnes of rubbish the first year we started,” Mr Hawke said.
“It seems to be getting better, maybe because we are having an impact.”
Other localities, such as Wollongong and Canberra, reported strong community support as hundreds of people turned out for Clean Up Australia Day to collect tonnes of rubbish.
Clean Up Australia Day volunteers in Wollongong.
In the ACT, more than 30 locations were registered for locals to attend. Minister for City and Government Services Tara Cheyne said clean-up events happened throughout the year.
“The ACT Government has proudly supported Clean Up Australia Day for more than two decades,” she said.
”On top of their own daily litter-picking and cleaning efforts, every year after the event our City Services crews pick up 500-600 bags of rubbish collected during the registered activities across the ACT, and arrange for their disposal.”
Back in Wagga Wagga, Mr Higginson said the city’s dismal turnout shouldn’t be a reflection on the many locals who cleaned up throughout the year; however, there was only one way to clean up Australia.
“Just don’t be a grub,” he said.
“Take your rubbish with you.”
Loading ...
