Caring for our environment means actions such as avoiding creating waste, reusing as much as we can and recycling when reuse isn’t possible, but it can also be something as simple as picking up litter. Council looks after litter in many areas, but everyone can take action to make things even better. One great action is organising a community clean up, and there are a range of organisations and resources ready to help:
Planning a clean up
If you’re planning a coastal or river clean up, Tasman Bay Guardians (https://tasmanbayguardians.org.nz/rubbish-free-beaches/) can help you identify a location and provide resources, including health & safety guidelines and other planning information. If considering a river or beach environment, it’s really important to remember that some areas such as sand dunes can be nesting habitats, so choose your location carefully.
Keep New Zealand Beautiful also supports activities and events to keep the places we live clean and beautiful, as well as providing useful resources – more information can be found on the Keep New Beautiful website.
Another way to get involved is to join our Adopt a Spot programme, http://www.nelson.govt.nz/environment/adopt-a-spot/ . This encourages community groups, schools and individuals to become involved in enhancing and caring for Council land in areas that matter to that group.
For guidelines on how to safely organise a community cleanup check out these resources from Keep New Zealand Beautiful: www.knzb.org.nz/resources/clean-up-resources/.
Waste disposal from community clean ups
Council offers free waste disposal to any group which has collected waste at an organised event (whether it’s a small group or a big organisation).
Then all you have to do is show a screenshot or digital or printed copy of the completed survey to staff at Nelson’s Waste Recovery Centre to drop off your waste free of charge.
Let’s all work together to keep Nelson clean and tidy!