The community pitches in to clean up

THE Bellarine Peninsula is home to picturesque rural landscapes and stunning coastal views, and we want to keep it that way.

Which is why events like Clean Up Australia Day – now celebrating its 35th year – are so important for our beautiful part of the world.

Every year hundreds of school students and selfless volunteers on the Bellarine put on their gloves and pick up litter to keep our towns, parks, wetlands and beaches pristine.

This year is no different, with several community events planned for Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday 2 March.

This includes three clean ups in Portarlington setting off from Point Richards Boat Ramp, Pier Street Café and Fairfax Street Boat Ramp.

These clean ups will see dedicated community groups and volunteers picking up litter across much of the bayside town’s foreshore.

Even local pooches are getting in on the action, with Portarlington’s Woofers and Walkers inviting dog owners and their four-legging friends to join their clean-up efforts.

This group of responsible local dog owners regularly pick up rubbish along the beach and foreshore, and they hope to inspire the wider community to do the same on Clean Up Australia Day.

Down the road in St Leonards, volunteers will focus their efforts on cleaning up Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve.

This local natural treasure is home to the last remaining stand of coastal woodland on the Bellarine Peninsula and a vast array of indigenous plants and animals.

The reserve features breathtaking coastal views and salt marsh habitats – so it’s little wonder locals want to keep it clean.

Volunteers will also gather at Clifton Springs Boat Harbour car park to clean up beaches, parks, Griggs Creek and the nearby clifftop trails.

In Barwon Heads, the Friends of the Barwon Bluff will join the clean-up efforts at the beloved natural landmark that they volunteer to protect year-round.

And more than a dozen clean ups will take place across Greater Geelong, so I encourage you all to roll up your sleeves and contribute to the national clean-up effort.

Last year, more than a million volunteers across Australia contributed two million hours to clean up our country, working at 16,320 sites.

In an ideal world, events like Clean Up Australia Day wouldn’t be required. It’s concerning that some members of our community continue to litter and dump items illegally.

This litter clogs our rivers, spoils our beautiful landscapes and can harm native wildlife.

I urge everyone to take their rubbish home or use one of the many council bins located across our municipality, and to take advantage of services such as our hard rubbish collection, to eliminate litter at its source.

But, equally, it’s encouraging to see so many community organisations, schools and businesses doing their bit to keep our region pristine on Clean Up Australia Day.

The City of Greater Geelong is proud to support many of these clean ups, and I thank everyone involved in advance for your service to our community.

Every piece of rubbish collected brings us closer to eliminating litter in communities and our stunning natural environments.

To join or find out more about clean ups happening in your area, head to register.cleanup.org.au/join-a-clean-up

Cr Trent Sullivan

Leopold Ward, City of Greater Geelong