The effects of the pandemic have been felt throughout the community, as many people changed their habits and even reverted back to single-use products after the outbreak. Tara Murray discovered that Clean Up Australia Day provides a great opportunity for people, including those affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, to review their habits and reset.
Clean Up Australia hopes that people will reconsider their use of single-use items ahead of Clean Up Australia Day which is March 6.
Pip Kiernan (Clean Up Australia Chair) says there was a surge in single-use litter due to the pandemic.
Clean Up Australia Day is a call to action to encourage people to reflect on their habits and consider changing them.
Masks are everywhere. We had to stop using coffee cups. We weren’t eating out so we were ordering take-out and the garbage associated with that.
There are masks, santised wishes, hand sanitizers bottles and all kinds of plastic packaging.
We can’t hide the problem. Now is the time to act. Our environmental issues are not going away due to COVID. They have only gotten worse because of the amount of rubbish that we’ve made.
Clean Up Australia’s focus this year is a citizen science project to assess the impact of single-use masks.
Ms. Kiernan stated that in 2020, more then three billion single-use face masks were thrown away around the world every day, contributing to a large amount of pandemic-related litter entering our environment.
She said that it is unclear how severe the problem is locally.
Volunteers will collect and count the masks they pick-up as part of their efforts.
According to Ms Kiernan the pandemic had a profound impact on how people interacted and participated at clean up events.
She stated that people could always have a clean-up event at any time of year.
[COVID]Some of our events have been affected by the timing. Schools used to time their events differently before the bushfires. There have been some changes in how people hold events.COVID saw some people resentful, but we were able to accommodate them and had smaller groups of 10 people, or, on larger sites, multiple groups that didn’t get too close to one another.
We deliver clean up kits and gloves to those who aren’t in the fresh air. There is also a QR check-in.
Ms. Kiernan said that registrations for this year, especially in schools was a bit slower than usual, but she hoped that they would pick-up in the weeks leading up to the event.
She stated that we are encouraging people to sign up as soon as they can so that they can get their kits in the quickest possible.
It’s a great way to make new friends and meet old friends.
It’s great to get out there and do something that makes you feel good and makes a difference.
It is now in its 32nd year of being a national event. It was founded 33 years ago by Ian Kiernan’s father, Ms Kiernan. He saw the waste in the oceans after participating in a solo yacht race around world.
It became a yearly event after 40,000 people attended the first year.
She said that it is now part of the Australian calendar.
It was something that everyone in their 30s and 40s did at school. Clean Up Australia Day is well-known and everyone can participate, regardless of their age, stage or where they live.
It is about practical action, and it’s about the community making a difference. It is a very nice thing to do.
The event has also evolved with time. The organisation is still focused on preventing waste.
Ms. Kiernan stated that they believe there should not be waste and that resources should be used repeatedly.
Registering is easy and all community-based participants will receive a Clean Up Kit, which contains gloves, bags, and other resources. There are packs for individuals and families as well as groups.
There are many local events taking place in Melbourne’s north west.
Schools can participate in Clean Up Australia Day on Friday March 4, with community events taking place on Sunday March 6 and business clean-up day on Tuesday March 1.
Details: www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au
