Clean up Australia Day

Every year hundreds of thousands of Australians help clean up their local environment on Clean Up Australia Day. It's fun, easy and everyone can take part. Individuals and local groups can either organise a Clean Up site or volunteer to join an existing site.

The day is firmly entrenched in the Australian calendar. It is an apolitical, non-profit community campaign in which everyone can participate. Clean Up Australia Day has successfully grown each year to make this community event the largest annual environmental campaign in Australia. Wollongong City Council is a keen supporter of Clean Up Australia Day, held on the first Sunday in March each year. We coordinate more than 20 registration points around the city, in areas identified as regular rubbish 'trouble spots'. We'd like to thank the thousands of volunteers who have helped make Clean Up Australia Day such a success over the years.        

Why do we need to Clean Up Australia?

• Australians are the among the highest producers of waste, per person, in the world;
• An estimated 7 billion cigarette butts end up in Australian waterways, streets and parklands each year;
• 80 million plastic bags end up as litter in Australia each year - creating a serious threat to our precious marine life;
• 37% of all items collected on Clean Up Australia Day 2004 were plastic - recycling one tonne of plastic saves enough energy to run a refrigerator for a month;
• recyclable material makes up almost 80% of total household waste in Australia;
• over the past 15 years volunteers on Clean Up Australia Day have collected over 200,000 tonnes of rubbish - that's 4.7 million household wheelie bins!

2009 Clean up day: Sunday, 1 March

Registration points will open be open from 9am to midday on Sunday for participants to fill in their forms and collect their Clean Up bags.

For the safety of all participants, we ask they bring along with own gloves, study footwear and to remember to take sun protection precautions.

2009 registration points in Wollongong (listed north to south):   

• Helensburgh, Corner Parks and Junction streets 
• Royal National Park - Era Cabins
• Otford - Oxford tennis courts
• Coalcliff - Surf Life Saving Club 
• Austinmer - Austinmer Beach
• Sandon Point - Surf Life Saving Club 
• Bulli - Slacky Creek (beach end)
• Bulli - Bulli Tops 
• Woonona - McDonald’s Restaurant 
• Bellambi – Bellambi Point (Near Boat Ramp)
• Bellambi Lagoon, Corner Turner and Birch streets
• Corrimal – Surf Life Saving Club 
• Fairy Meadow - McDonald’s Restaurant
• Mount Pleasant – Whipbird Reserve 
• North Wollongong – Puckeys Estate 
• Wollongong – Belmore Basin 
• Wollongong – Flagstaff Hill 
• Wollongong, Marine Drive - City Beach
• Wollongong, Fisher Street (opposite Wollongong Public School)
• Figtree - McDonald’s Restaurant 
• Mount Kembla - Mount Kembla lookout 
• Farmborough Heights - River Oak Estate
• Berkeley - Boat Ramp Harbour (Saturday and Sunday)
• Warrawong - Adjacent to Illawarra Yacht Club
• Warrawong - McDonald’s Restaurant
• Warrawong, King Street (opposite Harvey Norman)
• Port Kembla - Port Kembla Beach, Gloucester Bvd
• Windang – Surf Life Saving Club 
• Dapto - Lower Brooks Creek
• Wongawilli – Corner Shone and Wongawilli Road
• Tallawarra – Tallawarra Boat Ramp 
• Dapto, Gilba Road (near to water board gate)

Last Modified: 27/02/2009