Clean Up Australia Day is almost here, and if you've ever thought to yourself, wouldn't it be great if we all simply picked up our own rubbish as we went along, then here's your moment to shine.
On Sunday 1 March, Eurobodalla Council invites residents and community groups to grab some gloves and join the shire-wide clean-up – with some great prizes up for grabs, including one for the strangest find of the day.
Of course, in the perfect world we wouldn't need days like this. As Narooma local Bob Cave will tell you, a small daily effort has an enormous impact. Not just for the beauty and amenity of Mill Bay where he walks each day but for marine life and the environment they live in.
"It might only be a half dozen pieces but there isn't a day I walk the bay's edge and don't see some rubbish," says Mr Cave.
He's especially wary of plastic, which has a place but not in the environment he says. After seeing the impact of plastic on wildlife at Lord Howe Island it became impossible for him to ignore it.
"They had birds in the museum that died with stomachs full of plastic – they starved to death."
Council's manager of waste services Nathan Ladmore says people like Bob are why days like Clean Up matter; whether you join an existing site or register your own, every pair of hands makes a difference.
"When you register a new site, you'll receive a free clean up kit, including gloves and bags. Each participant should bring along their own hat and sunscreen, wear closed shoes, and carry a water bottle, " says Mr Ladmore.
