Volunteer registrations for Clean Up Australia Day 2020 are open, with Clarence Valley Councilissuing an appeal to valley residents to step up on Sunday March 1, to help reduce the amount of waste throughout the Clarence Valley.

“We are calling on our residents  to step up to clean up and join us to collect as much of this waste as we can before it causes harm,” mayor Jim Simmons said.

Clean Up Australia Day is the nation’s largest community-based mobilisation event, and last year more than 680,000 volunteers removed over 15,000 ute loads of rubbish from the 6,901 registered locations across the country.

Clean Up Australia Chairman Pip Kiernan said Australia creates 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year. Only 12% of this is recycled with the rest ending up in our parks, roadsides, bush, waterways, oceans or in landfill as rubbish.

“It’s our 30th anniversary in 2020,” Ms Kiernan said. “To celebrate that milestone, we’d love to see 700,000 Australians cleaning up at 8,000 sites nationally on 1 March.”

Clean Up Australia is more than just volunteers picking up rubbish. The charity works with community, business, schools and governments all year round to reduce waste and fix waste problems.  

“For 30 years now we’ve been cleaning up Australia. But Australians are creating more waste than ever, so we need more help. If people are unable to join a Clean Up on March 1, they can step up by donating to help us all year round,” Ms Kiernan said.

100% of funds raised through donations are allocated to the provision of educational resources and clean up materials provided free of charge to community, school and youth groups across the nation, throughout the year.

To find or create a cleanup site near you, register at cleanup.org.au

 If you can’t join the Clean Up but would like to Step Up and make a donation to Clean Up Australia go to cleanup.org.au.  Clean Up Australia is a registered charity and all donations over $2 and tax deductable.