Warragul Rotary Club members were proud to join the millions of volunteers across Australia participating in clean up events over the past 34 years for Clean Up Australia Day earlier this month.
On Saturday, March 4, members gathered at Rotary Park, donned gloves and took bags to collect rubbish. Teams cleaned up the park and along the linear trail and Hazel Creek from Bowen St to behind the Burke St sporting precinct before enjoying a well earned morning tea.
Five bags of rubbish were collected and one bag of recyclables. Cigarette butts, food packaging, soft plastics and advertising materials were common items of rubbish. Many drink cans and bottles were recovered for recycling. Some of the more unusual items collected were a bicycle wheel, a shopping trolley and an acrylic fingernail.
Avoiding rubbishing our environment is important. It is unpleasant and annoying for users of public spaces to see that others do not care. Rubbish entering waterways can harm our wildlife along creeks, rivers and faraway beaches. All Australians can help by reducing, reusing and refusing as often as possible.
Warragul Rotary acknowledged Paul Vaughan from Baw Baw Shire for joining in and providing the free disposal of rubbish collected at a council transfer station.