On-foot clean-ups littered through the week

WHILE enjoying country walks around his neighbourhood for the last six weeks, Smythes Creek’s Brendan Johnston discovered something he didn’t like.

“There was just so much rubbish, like plastic, bottles and aluminium cans, so I decided to take a bag with me, and pick it up,” he said.

Heading out for a five or six-kilometre round trip on Bells Road towards Haddon, up to the rail trail and back about five times a week, he’s noticed most of the litter he clears is found on rural roads receiving a slightly higher flow of traffic.

“If no one picks any of the rubbish up, it stays there and keeps getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger, until we walk along the side of the road and it looks like a tip.

“If I can pick it up every time I go, the next time I don’t need to pick up so much. Every time I go for a walk now, I’m not picking up as much, so that’s a positive. It’s better,” Mr Johnston said.

The City of Ballarat has collected around 30 full bags from him, to take back into town for disposal, or recycling in the case of separated plastics and glass.

Mr Johnston has been pleased with local feedback, and hopes residents across the Golden Plains Shire, and around Ballarat, will be inspired to forge their own routine combining a bit of exercise with picking up litter.

“When I’m walking around, people stop and they ask, ‘what are you doing?’ When I say I’m picking up the rubbish they think it’s great that someone’s out there doing that for the community, making the place look a little bit better,” he said.

“When they wheel their wheelie bins out, I would love for people to take a bag with them and walk 500 meters to the left of their mailbox, and 500 meters to the right, and pick up that little bit of rubbish that might be on the side of the road.

“We’ll have a chain reaction, and it’s a good community thing to do.”