My City Logan - Mayor's Column this week - Bonding to rid the city of litter
On Sunday, Councillors joined staff and volunteers on a city-wide cleaning spree as part of Clean Up Australia Day. Community spirits were high and it was great to see people coming together for a common goal to rid our city of litter.
At Logan River Parklands in Beenleigh, Council staff teamed up with Logan Youth Action Group to pitch in for the clean-up. It included a ‘Watch out for Waste’ presentation, educational materials were handed out and there was a free sausage sizzle for participants.
Clean Up Australia Day started with humble beginnings 30 years ago by ‘an average Aussie bloke’ Ian Kiernan. It’s now the largest community-based environmental event in the country.
Council was a proud participant with more than 40 events listed throughout the city. Council offered free tipping of all collected waste from the day at our five Waste and Recycling Transfer Stations. We also provided free bulk bins to a number of registered sites on the day.
The event is a reminder of the importance of preventing rubbish from entering our environment and taking the time to pick up any litter. But it shouldn’t just be the one day of the year that we care about the cleanliness of our parks, rivers, parking lots and roadways.
I get frustrated by people littering, especially when you see someone toss a cigarette butt out of a car, or fast food packages carelessly strewn about. I take great pride in our city and it is everyone’s responsibility to take their rubbish and put it in a bin.
Public money should be spent on improving public spaces – not cleaning up other people’s rubbish. Council’s own waste and recycling plan ensures the city’s waste services and infrastructure keep up with our growing population.
The plan outlines the opportunities and challenges ahead and the steps Council will take to make the most of recycling and avoid creating waste. It aims to help Council manage the city’s waste in a way that achieves a balance of environmental, economic and social outcomes.
The plan also supports the Queensland Government’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Productivity Strategy 2014 – 2024.
By working together we can keep our beautiful city clean and tidy.