AS Clean Up Australia Day approaches, its founder Ian Kiernan is urging people to curb their littering of cigarette butts and drink containers.
Clean Up Australia Day was launched at South Beach in North Coogee this morning by its founder Ian Kiernan, who also released results of WA’s 2013 “Rubbish Report”.
The report revealed cigarette butts and drink containers are WA’s most littered items.
He said the people of Perth must consider the environment more to keep the city as a top tourist destination.
Mr Kiernan said the report, which analysed the 1236 tonnes of rubbish collected by 35,833 volunteers on last year’s Clean Up day, were disturbing.
He was particularly upset by the rise of cigarette butts, which were up six per cent, saying: “I am disgusted that some people seem to think WA is a giant ashtray.”
It was not all bad news for WA, however, as Kiernan insisted that the enthusiasm of the Clean Up volunteers demonstrated WA’s passion for the environment.
He also said the event, which has run for 20 years and seen more than 200,000 tonnes of rubbish collected, is “absolutely working.”
City of Cockburn Mayor Logan Howlett, who was also at today’s launch, was in agreement with Mr Kiernan and recalled his own participation in collections schemes as a child.
“We’d load up the car with rubbish and go down for the local shopping centre and trade them in and get our money,” he said.
These “collection for cash” schemes were phased out in WA in the early 1970s, but Mr Kiernan supported their return, citing their success in South Australia.
“Instead of seeing rubbish you’re seeing money,” he said.
“The recovery rates of those containers (in SA) exceeds 85 per cent, in other states and territories it’s less than 30pc.”
He also suggested the people of WA begin to think of the environment as an economic necessity.
“It’s a mighty state with such wealth in the mining industry and tourism when you’ve got an asset like that it has to be maintained,” he said.
Clean Up WA volunteer Claire Dunn said people shouldn’t be afraid of getting their hands dirty.
“People obviously think of rubbish as being gross and dirty,” the environment and sustainability university student said.
“But Clean Up Day can be fun. You’re getting outside and meeting new people”.
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Will anyone from here be going?
and I always carry around my own ashtray.
