Introduction
As we locked-down in our efforts to battle the global pandemic of COVID variants, Clean Up Australia geared up to offer our volunteers the opportunity to safely ‘break out’ for solo or small socially-distanced team-based mental-health revivers.
Our Review of Operations gives you insights into the scope and reach of programs and projects Clean Up offers all year round.
Working in consultation with state health authorities and local government, we encouraged Australians to mask up and take to their streets for some outdoor exercise with the added benefit of positive action with and for their community.
None of this would be possible without the support of our volunteers, partners and donors – the lifeblood of our operations.
Whether they worked on their own, as a family or small group of friends, inspiring Australians took every opportunity to Step Up to Clean Up both in March and then throughout the year.
Our small and dedicated team, ably supported by our energetic board, works alongside business, government and community every day of the year to bring about the changes which then become part of the fabric of our lives.
New activities included plogging, collecting rubbish while walking, running, jogging – any physical action was a great excuse to get fitter with litter.
And for companies with home-based workers, the option of on-line team learning proved to be an attractive alternative.
As restrictions eased, our module-based Greening the Green program began working with sporting facilities to engage users in a series of solutions to reduce the amount of waste created at their grounds. While the program was interrupted due to local restrictions, feedback from those who managed to participate suggests there are significant changes which can be readily made to fulfil community desire to reduce our environmental impact across all aspects of our lives.
We look forward to a future where a refund for containers is the norm, where single use plastics are a memory and sustainability is at the forefront of thinking.
Terrie-Ann Johnson
Chief Executive
Respondents to our annual Rubbish Survey are telling us that Australia’s waste challenges continue to grow.
And that now, more than ever, it’s time to Step Up and support solutions which move us towards a circular economy – where everything is a resource, and there is no such thing as waste.
Conscious that dialogue and solutions were very focused on business, Clean Up has created Buy Recycled a consumerfacing platform to encourage every one of us to seek and purchase products made with recycled content.
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