Page 16 - PR Mag Mar19

Change starts with you!
There has never been a better time to take to our streets
as Queensland still has a way to go to conquer its rubbish
problems according to latest rubbish report.

Clean Up Australia is a not for profit community based that needs to change. The choice is simple, take action or plastics
organisation founded by Ian Kiernan AO in 1989 to inspire and will continue to be a problem well into the future,” said Terrie-
work with communities to clean up, fix up and conserve our Ann.
environment. The 2018 Report directly supports the need for us all to think
Clean Up Australia is dedicated to developing sustainable about how we can switch from single use packaging.
solutions and addressing the critical issues that face us in Food packaging, as a percentage of all rubbish reported by
the areas of waste, degrading waterways and landscapes. It Queensland clean up volunteers increased by 14.6% in 2018.
provides a practical framework and support for all individuals to Comprising take away containers, food, chip & confectionery
make a positive and effective contribution to the health of our wrappers – this trend is alarming because it outstrips the national
environment. counts by nearly 10%.
For 30 years Australians have joined together to Clean Up “Change starts with you – and we need to make smarter choices
Australia. During this time over 16 million Australians have every day.” said Terrie-Ann.
donated more than 33 million hours, removing the equivalent “We need to reduce the amount of rubbish we produce as
of 350,000 ute-loads of rubbish from more than 178 thousand individuals and take simple actions such as carrying our reusable
locations across the country. bags, replacing single use beverage cups and choosing products
Since 1993 millions of people around the globe have also that are not over packaged.”
heeded the call under the banner of Clean Up the World, the Smokers also need to get smarter with cigarette butts coming up
global initiative the United Nations asked Kiernan to create as the item most counted by Clean Up volunteers at 13.5% of the
and oversee. This year-round campaign engages an estimated individual item count. While a welcome decrease of 19.6% over the
35 million volunteers in 130 countries annually, making it the previous year, it’s timely to remind smokers how cigarette butts
largest community-based environmental campaign in the world. impact our environment.
“Smokers need to understand that the core of most cigarette filters
The 2018 Clean Up Australia Rubbish Report, compiled each is a form of plastic called cellulose acetate which is very slow to
year from data submitted by Queensland Clean Up volunteers, degrade, taking anything from 18 months to 10 years to break up.
found that although there was improvement in many areas, food These filters are also full of toxins, which can leach into the ground
packaging was reported in higher quantities than the national and waterways, damaging living organisms that come into contact
average. with them,” said Terrie-Ann.
Plastic continues to be the #1 type of rubbish reported across “We all need to take responsibility for our choices.”
the state. Parks were the most popular site surveyed in 2018, also recording
Terrie-Ann Johnson, Managing Director of Clean Up Australia, the highest percentage of total waste. Non-identified sites yielded
warns that plastic – a material type which will not decompose, the highest average number of items across the state, closely
will, unless we take action today, continue to impact our followed by outdoor transport areas.
environment, our natural heritage and ultimately human health. “We still have a way to go to Clean Up Australia, so remember
Thirty years ago, Ian Kiernan AO predicted the problems that change starts with you!”
single-use plastics would pose. Since then we have seen ever- To register or join a 2019 Clean Up site go to:
increasing dependence on plastic as a throw-away item – and http://cleanupaustraliaday.org.au.