River clean-up about giving back

THE Yarrowee River and Yuille Wetlands were swept of rubbish on Monday morning as thirty-five people took part in a Clean-Up Australia working bee.

Coordinated by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria, volunteers and representatives of authorities and grassroots groups cleared the Yarrowee Trail and waterways of litter.

Big bags were filled with mostly metal and plastic drink containers and food packaging, while larger dumped items were also dragged out of the bush, including car parts, a chair and floor rug.

EPA regional manager Carolyn Francis said the health of the Yarrowee is threatened by junk that flows into the river from the storm water system.

“Unfortunately, any waterway in an urban, built-up area is full of what we’ve seen today; predominantly a build-up of plastic drink containers and household waste in the creek itself,” she said.

“We do often find in these areas that there’s illegal dumping. People bring a carload in and leave it, and it not only has an impact on the environment and any animals that might live in the area because the cost to the community to clean that up is considerable. We encourage people not to throw away their drink bottles but to hold onto them and recycle them. There are great initiatives now, like the container deposit scheme.”

Volunteers from Landcare organisations including the Leigh Catchment Group and Friends of the Yarrowee River took part in the clean-up, alongside Central Highlands Water and City of Ballarat representatives.

“It shows that people really care about the Yarrowee,” said the Friends’ president Neil Huybregts. “The clean-ups are a great way to get together with other people and have a great time.

“Kids love it, and it’s a great way for families to spend time giving back to the reserve.

“The Yarrowee is a fantastic natural reserve that we’ve got running right through the city, end to end, but what a shame that not all people care enough to put their rubbish in the bin or take it home.

“That would be fantastic if more people did that. There are a couple of litter traps, but they’re not being properly maintained so they fill up and overflow.”

This week’s clean-up was followed by a barbecue lunch cooked by members of the Sebastopol Lions Club.

Ms Francis thanked volunteers who not only took part in the clean-up day, but lead initiatives to advocate for, and protect, the Yarrowee catchment year-round.

“They do amazing work for the local environment,” she said.