More than one day to Clean-Up the Shire

LAST Sunday may have been the official Clean-Up Australia Day, but Shire residents and community leaders know ridding of rubbish is an ongoing project.

Linton and District Progress Association’s Warren Bowen said the organisation’s gardening group is leading the charge in their town.

“Although we had a Clean-Up Australia Day campaign last weekend, this has been ongoing for quite a while,” he said.

“People volunteer, taking around chicken feed bags when they go out walking, and collect any rubbish that they find. We have a great energy in the town of motivated people.

“We are inspiring people to maintain their own properties really well, which is fantastic, but working with the Shire, it’s the community that is maintaining the broader beautification of our town.”

Litter is appearing on roadsides after drivers “throw cans out the window,” and around the Mortchup Road Reservoir, which is on the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail.

Linton Primary School student, 10-year-old Katelyn will continue to clear her neighbourhood this junk in the coming weeks, moving through the streets and into the bush.

I’ve seen lots of cans and chip wrappers. It’s important we clean up our town because animals could eat it, and it might clog up our gutters,” she said.

Eleven Friends of Bannockburn Bush, including young families and experienced volunteers, worked on their home reserve last weekend.

Some will pick up where they left off this evening, Thursday, 11 March, alongside the Lethbridge Cubs and Bannockburn Scouts.

FBB’s Stuart McCallum said the reserve roadsides have been clogged by litter, despite the sturdy fencing surrounding the Bannockburn Bush.

“Recently we found some concrete rubble and a sofa dumped, but primarily the sort of stuff we collect are take away and fast-food containers, beer bottles, water bottles, drink cans, and even a few plants,” he said.

“That’s very serious. Plants like yuccas and cactus that people dump can reproduce and spread into the native bushland. There’s still some of that to clean up.”

Last year, the Bannockburn Bush Reserve received track resurfacing. Mr McCallum said unwanted litter was left on site during this process.

“The contractor inadvertently spread a bit of rubbish in the landfill that they used to fill holes and level the tracks, so there has been glass and crockery to pick up and tidy up.”

He’s pleased young people like the Cubs and Scouts are getting involved in the Clean-Up, caring for the land and learning about it as they become the next generation of community leaders.

“It’s hard to change the mindset of people my age, but we’ve got to have the long plan, working with the terrific kids of today who are better educated about the world, and have more of a global view.

“They then take the ideas home to their parents and teach them,” Mr McCallum said.

Contact the LDPA Facebook page or drop into the Linton Emporium if you’re in Linton and interested in sourcing clean-up equipment.

The Shire are removing the collected litter from the rear of the old Shire offices.