Local groups will be out and about next week as part of the annual Keep New Zealand Beautiful Clean Up Week, which runs from October 25-31.

They will join thousands of volunteers in New Zealand’s largest community-based event created to remove litter from the environment.

The Rotary Club of Wānaka is holding a clean-up day on Tuesday October 26: a road verge litter collection around Sir Tim Wallis Drive and parts of Ballantyne, Riverbank, and State Highway roads, which will run from 3pm to 5pm on Tuesday.

“Members of the public are most welcome to join us,” club director of service projects John Milburn said.

The Lake Hāwea community is organising a public clean up day on Saturday October 30 starting at 9am. Organiser Kaz Armstrong said there will be a focus on reusable equipment.

“In the past we’ve used plastic bags to collect the rubbish but this time we are asking people to bring reusable clean-up kit,” Kaz said.

Participants will be given a ‘patch’ to clean up with volunteers expected to be kept busy for around two hours.

“We will recycle what we can and ask that people bring their own environmentally friendly equipment to collect the rubbish in. Things like gloves, wool fadges, supermarket bags, and trailers are ideal,” Kaz said.

Both organisations will supply high visibility vests to keep people safe.

“Keep NZ Beautiful has provided a number of documents for us to complete and return to them including a volunteer registration form, an evaluation report which includes a rubbish collected summary and a Covid scan code for volunteers,” John said.

To join the Rotary Club of Wānaka’s clean-up day contact John Milburn on [email protected].

To join the Hāwea clean-up day contact Kaz Armstrong on [email protected].

PHOTO: Wānaka App