Clean Up Australia Day in Bingara

February 14, 2018

With Clean Up Australia Day rapidly approaching it is time to start getting organised for this important event. The date nominated this year for Bingara is Sunday March 11.

Gwydir River

The Gwydir River is probably Bingara’s greatest asset. Keeping the river beautiful for everyone’s enjoyment is a priority, and volunteers are welcome to clean up the river, the town and surrounding areas.

Once again volunteers from across Australia will be working with the shared goal of returning both our rural and urban environments to their best.

For wildlife, casually scattered rubbish can have a critical impact. Plastics are a major pollutant and do incalculable damage.

From being swallowed by marine animals and birds to conglomerating in great rafts deep in our oceans plastics are impacting every part of our marine ecologies.

The plastic no-tamper rings from containers and bottles are often found over the heads of birds and animals, cormorants, turtles and platypus in our rivers, gannets, sea turtles and even some species of fish in the seas and oceans.

Eventually the animals grow and choke on the rings or the sores caused lead to fatal infections. No-one knows how many animals are killed each year by this incredibly useful material but the estimates are frightening.

Broken glass along the edge of the River presents an even greater risk to many riparian animals as well as toddlers, small children and anglers. It can slash open the bellies of birds, fish and mammals as can discarded metals and other sharp objects.

Gwydir Ark is hosting Clean Up Australia Day for 2018. Do you, your family or a group you belong to, want to be involved or know of an area you think needs a bit of a tidy up?

If you do, please let Gwydir Ark know who you are and what area you might like to do. You can contact us by email gwydir.ark@gmail.com or by phone 0412 081 642 (Ros Moulton)