Clean Up Australia Day 2012

Congratulations to the wonderful volunteers across Australia who participated in the annual Clean Up Australia Day, and collected an absolute mountain of litter - over 16,000 tonnes from more than 7000 sites!  


I am sad to say that, as much as our neighbourhood needs to again have the litter hauled out of our local parks and green spaces, the Ellenbrook Bushland Group did not participate in Clean Up Australia Day on March 4th.  After our clean up efforts over the last three years, I have decided that March is too dangerously hot during the day to be picking up rubbish.  I am wary of the risk of heatstroke or hyperthermia, particularly in the retirees and very young who make up the majority of our volunteers.  And I couldn't face asking volunteers to start earlier, to avoid the heat, on their precious Sunday morning, in the middle of a long weekend.  So I didn't....

For those of you not familiar with Perth, here is a snapshot from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (www.bom.gov.au) showing the weather forecasts for major cities for tomorrow (Tuesday 6th March).   Is this typical for this time of the year?  It is for Perth. 

from the Bureau of Meteorology - compare those temperatures!

We will probably organise some local clean up activities later in the year, when the weather is cooler. September and October is a much more pleasant time to be working outdoors, particularly in areas where rubbish seems to collect; along retaining walls and fences, and in shrubs along pathways and roadsides, where shade is scarce or non-existent.  

Have a look at previous diary entries to see what we've done in the past during those months, such as the Big Spring Clean Up and our Wildflower Photography Safari.  Stay cool!