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Brittany Owens says that she hopes her Big Cleanup of Orewa Beach this weekend will not only remove litter and rubbish but also be a chance for like-minded people to get together and share some fun and a sausage sizzle.
This is the third Big Cleanup that Brittany has organised – the previous two took place in July on the North Shore and a total of 300kgs of rubbish was collected.
Brittany says the success of her The Big Cleanup Facebook page is due to the members of the public who turn up to help her clean their local beaches.
“It’s so important for all of us to take responsibility for cleaning up the land that we take so much from,” she says. “People often look at beaches with rose tinted glasses, until they take a closer look and see what’s actually there.”
Among the most common items found are lollypop sticks and cigarette butts (the filter does not break down) as well as plastic of all kinds, especially straws. Much larger items, including a pallet, road work barriers, treated timber and standing sign weights have also been found.
Envirowaste will supply a skip and recycling bins at the Orewa Beach cleanup on Saturday, November 4. It runs for just one hour, from 10am.
Brittany provides reusable hessian sacks for participants to use, and everyone unpacks what they collect to place in the recycling bins or landfill skip. If possible, bring your own gardening gloves.
She says the clean ups are especially popular with families with young children but that people of all ages take part.
“There has been torrential rain at other clean ups and it’s always surprising to see how many people still want to be part of it,” she says. “It’s fun – we don’t preach on about it; it’s a chance to get out there and do something and meet likeminded people.”
The meeting point is likely to be by Orewa Surf Club, but this will be confirmed on the Facebook page The Big Cleanup.
