A cash register, computer and a bicycle were among the bags and bags of rubbish and recycling picked up throughout the Mountains on Clean Up Australia Day on March 5.
The SES volunteers working at Spooner’s Lookout at Katoomba used ropes to haul rubbish up the escarpment, including a half-full wheelie bin and a drone.
The mayor, Mark Greenhill, said: “Community support for the event is as strong as ever, as seen by an increase in the number of clean-up sites and the number of young people and businesses participating in the 2017 Clean Up Australia Day in the Blue Mountains.”
A group at Springwood Cemetery located some dumped asbestos which was reported to Council for removal. A small group of Blaxland Scouts also helped out at this location and came across a geocache location, which added an extra buzz to their day.
Caro Ryan, the face behind LotsaFreshAir and a bushwalking and hiking enthusiast, led a small two-woman clean-up crew up Mt Solitary, returning with 10kg of rubbish.
She said: “We were absolutely filthy from scraping out all the fire pits between the Golden Stairs and the top of Mt Solitary… The popular items were small tuna cans and glass inside the fire pits and a ludicrous amount of wet wipes, which as we all know, don’t break down.”
Councillor Romola Hollywood, site co-ordinator at Wentworth Falls, said: “Apart from an astonishing amount of bottles, cans and plastic bags, our team pulled an old cash register and a computer monitor out of the creek. None of these items belong in Jamison Creek or any of our precious waterways in the Blue Mountains.”
Our team pulled an old cash register and a computer monitor out of Jamison Creek
- Cr Romola Hollywood
The Garguree Swampcare group of 40 volunteers at Maple Grove, Katoomba Falls Road, learned about the importance of maintaining habitat for wildlife with Australian Wildlife Displays Anthony Stimson and friends including Joanna the Goanna, a grey headed flying fox, and a selection of snakes and lizards.
The mayor offered a big thanks to everyone who volunteered.
Council is currently calculating the volume of waste collected throughout the City on Clean Up Australia Day.
