On 18 March, Team GECA took action and spent Business Clean Up Day on the walking trails around Cooks River. After weeks of rain, we expected to find rubbish galore, but we found only clear paths and mud at first. However, it wasn’t long before we discovered the flood-worsened debris.
In amongst the swampy mangrove banks of the river were tons of rubbish, enough to fill all of our giant Clean Up Australia bags. Sadly, because it wasn’t safe to venture out onto the river bed, we had to leave a lot of rubbish behind.
During our clean-up, we collected broken pieces of soft plastic, single-use face masks, and plenty of bottle caps strewn on the paths, and at one stage, one of our team braved the edges of the muddy banks and collected plastic bottles and takeaway containers.
With the GECA team having moved to remote work full-time, it was a joy to see everyone face to face! And while everything we do at GECA is about creating a better future for people and the planet, it was refreshing to get outside and do something hands-on for our environment.
Visit Clean Up Australia to discover how to organise a clean up for your organisation, school or community group!
