Call to clean up Melbourne rubbish hot spot – Yarra River

Media Call - 17 February 2010

On Wednesday 17th February 2010, Clean Up Australia Day Founder Ian Kiernan AO and The Hon. Gavin Jennings MLC, Minister for Environment and Climate Change and The Right Hon. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle, will be boarding the Parks Victoria Litter Barge on Melbourne’s Yarra River. This coincides with the announcement that Victoria will be the host for the 20th anniversary of Clean Up Australia Day 2010, in recognition of the significant volunteering contribution Victorians have made to Clean Up Australia Day over the past 20 years.

They will be preparing for Clean Up Australia Day, calling on Melbournians to continue the great commitment they have shown for the event over the past 20 years by participating once again in its 20th national anniversary on 7 March 2010.

WHAT: The Hon. Gavin Jennings MLC, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, announces Victoria as the host of the 20th anniversary of Clean Up Australia Day 2010.  He will be joined by Clean Up Australia Day Founder Ian Kiernan AO and The Right Hon. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle on the Parks Victoria Litter Barge on Melbourne’s Yarra River, in preparation for Clean Up Australia Day

WHEN: Wednesday 17th February 2010, 9.30am
           
WHERE: Parks Victoria Litter Barge, Princes Pier (SEE MAP BELOW)
            Melway map reference: 1B Q11

FAST FACTS

• Cigarette butts accounted for 13% of all rubbish collected from sites around VIC. This was a decrease from 2008 when cigarette butts accounted for 16% of all rubbish found
  
  
• The most rubbish removed across surveyed sites in VIC was plastic, totalling 28% of all rubbish counted. These included plastic bags, chips and confectionary packets, PET drink containers, bottle caps and lids and general packaging
  
  
• Chips and confectionary bags/wrappers were the 4th most found item. Almost 4066 of these items were removed by volunteers across the state last year
  
  
• VIC and NSW recorded more polystyrene than any other states, accounting for 4% of all rubbish
  
  
• Of all the rubbish surveyed in VIC, 47% could have been recycled through normal kerbside collections
  
  
• Glass alcohol bottles and metal alcohol cans were the 2nd (5th in 2008) and 3rd (4th in 2008) biggest rubbish offenders for 2009
  
  
• Victorian beaches and coastal areas are most affected by littering; with surveyed sites in 2009 recording an average of 805 rubbish items per site. This is almost a three-fold increase on 2008 figures, when beaches and coastal areas recorded an average of 297 items per site

 

Top 5 rubbish items collected in VIC in 2009 were:

1. Cigarette Butts   
2. Glass Alcoholic Beverage Bottles   
3. Metal/Aluminium Alcoholic Beverage Cans   
4. Plastic Chips & Confectionary wrappers   
5. Glass pieces

Most Polluted Sites:
The most polluted site types in 2009 (and average number of rubbish items found per site):

• Beach/coastal areas (805)
• Roadways (585)
• School Grounds (477)

Media Enquiries:
Sophie Coleman 02 8260 2841 / 0406 648 144 or Georgina Morris 02 8260 2842/ 0433 469 961 cleanup@thisismango.com.au