Join Clean Up Australia at Caddies Creek Reserve

Ready your rubbish pickers and bags as the Hills Shire Councill will participate in Clean Up Australia, the country’s largest community-based environmental event, with its cleaning event at Caddies Creek Park Reserve on Sunday, 3 March 2024.

Participants can join by signing up for the Caddies Creek Reserve site. At 9:00 AM, a platypus expert from Western Sydney University, Dr Michelle Ryan, will kickstart the day with a talk on caring for the local platypus population. 

The Mayor, Councillors, Hills Youth Army, and Council staff will join the Clean Up event. The event’s timeline is as follows: 

• 9:00 AM: Welcome and talk by Dr. Michelle Ryan
• 9:20 AM: Housekeeping and safety briefing
• 9:30 AM: Sign on, bag collection and clean-up to begin
• 11:00 AM: Clean Up concludes

The Council advises the attendees to bring water, snacks, gloves, and sun protection, including a hat and sunscreen. The meeting point is at picnic tables at the Caddies Creek Park Reserve, in Radisson Place, North Kellyville.

For more information about the Hills event, visit Step Up to Clean Up Australia Day.

For those interested in knowing other sites in the Hills or neighbouring areas, you may enter your postcode at https://register.cleanup.org.au/join-a-clean-up.

Individuals may also register their own events, whether in the community, a school, or a business, at https://register.cleanup.org.au.

In addition, the annual Schools Clean Up Day will be held on Friday, 1 March 2024, for teachers and students from preschools, primary schools, and secondary schools. Register via http://www.cleanup.org.au/schools.

Schools can use the “Clean Up Guide”, “Safety Information”, and “What’s in a Clean Up Kit?” resources to plan their events better.

For Businesses, they can participate in the clean-up drive on Tuesday, 27 February 2024. Businesses can register by visiting https://www.cleanup.org.au/business.

Dr Peter Gangemi, the Mayor of the Hills Shire, mentioned that residents should bring their families and friends along to be part of a nationwide community effort. 

“I am encouraging residents to volunteer to help the environment this Clean Up Australia Day,” Mayor Gangemi said.

“You feel absolutely amazing after giving your time and energy to a good cause.

“Residents will also learn about how we can support our local wildlife, particularly the platypus.

“Our wildlife and many of our tree and plant species rely on our waterways for survival. That’s why it’s so important that we keep them clear of all litter, particularly plastics and chemicals.”

Joining the event is Dr Michelle Ryan, a platypus expert and researcher from Western Sydney University, who will share insights on locals.

Along with citizen scientists from Cattai Hills Environment Network (CHEN), she and her team captured a healthy platypus in the Cattai Creek catchment last year, which marks the first confirmation of platypus in the Hills since 1998.

“Litter entanglement is one of the greatest threats to our platypus population in The Hills,” Dr Ryan said.

“Litter such as discarded plastic bags, fishing line and hair ties can pose a serious risk by entangling platypus, limiting their mobility and potentially leading to starvation or drowning.

“Safeguarding our waterways from litter is paramount to ensuring the well-being and survival of these iconic creatures.”

Almost 800,000 individuals joined the Clean Up event last March. The drive had over a million volunteers last year, garnering 2,060,790 volunteer hours, and 217 Councils supported the event. From 17,139 sites, Community clean-ups comprised the majority of sites with 10,686 events, 4,776 School/youth clean-ups, and 1677 Business Clean Ups.