By Roshan Ratnam Murugappan
On the bright Sunday morning of the 1st of March, I joined dozens of eager local volunteers in Wyndham Vale for Clean Up Australia Day. Armed with bright neon green vests, gloves and rubbish bags, we set out to clean our neighbourhood, expecting to pick up a few stray bottles and plastic bags. However, I was quickly blown away by how much waste had accumulated in our local parks and green nature.
Volunteers who had never seen each other before, united to remove rubbish from our local green areas. We put our best effort to collect everything from plastic bottles and food packaging to large blocks of styrofoam lying around.The amount of waste built up in our park was both astonishing and profoundly disappointing.
Taking part in Clean Up Australia Day made me realise just how important waste management is for our community. Even small pieces of litter can harm wildlife and make their way into our local trees and bushes. It showed me that keeping our environment clean is not just the council’s responsibility but also the responsibility of the public. However, I’m not going to sit here and criticise people for littering, because I’m guilty of it as well. Littering is something we’ve all done at one point, knowingly or unknowingly, but by making sure our rubbish ends up in the bin, we can do what’s best for the environment. Taking simple steps like keeping your rubbish with you until you find a bin or replacing use of plastics with reusable steel water bottles or reusable lunch boxes can make a huge difference.
Events like Clean Up Australia Day really show the unity of our community. When people come together with a shared goal to make a difference, even a few hours of volunteering can make a significant difference in the beauty and vitality of our community.
Participating in the Clean Up Australia Day alongside so many other locals was a real eye opener for me as I was able to truly see the impact littering has on our community. It has encouraged me to think more carefully about my own waste and how I can reduce it. I hope more people will be keen to participate in future clean up events to make sure our environment continues to thrive. But more than that, making sure we’re conscious of our own waste is crucial, because small actions from all of us can have a big impact.
