You Are Still Needed to Clean Up Australia

Progress has been made on how much trash we create but the longstanding rubbish collection remains necessary.

Key points

For 35 years, an annual “emu parade” has happened right across Australia.

Started in 1990 by well-known sailor Ian Kiernan, Clean Up Australia Day has seen 22 million Aussies come together to put rubbish in its place.

Aiming for its biggest ever collection on Sunday March 2, Clean Up Australia Day’s chair Pip Kiernan told Hope Mornings her dad Ian would “have loved to think it is redundant and we don’t need it anymore”.

For 35 years, an annual “emu parade” has happened right across Australia.

Ian Kiernan died in 2018 and Pip said his vision for sorting out waste in Australia remains necessary.

“I think he would be delighted that more than one million volunteers to get out behind this cause and do something practical for the environment.

As individuals, families, groups and communities choose a site to clean up on March 2, Pip celebrated the progress made in the amount of rubbish we create.

Individuals, families, groups and communities will choose a site to clean up on March 2.

She cited the “return and earn” schemes for cans and bottles, and the “phasing out of problematic plastics” such as drinking straws.

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Still, Clean Up Australia Day founder Ian would be “frustrated that there is still so much rubbish ending up in the environment and there is still a lot of work we need to do”.

Head to Clean Up Australia Day and add a site, join a team and help fight litter.

Listen to Ben McEachen’s conversation with Pip Kiernan in the player above.

Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro