Shellharbour City Council is encouraging the community to roll up their sleeves and help improve their suburbs and spaces this Clean Up Australia Day – Sunday 6 March.

Each year, Clean Up Australia Day encourages communities across the country to clean up and conserve their local area.

This year, the event will look to tackle mask litter and discover the effects of single-use masks on the environment. Registered volunteers can join the citizen science project, which will allow participants to record the number of masks they have collected online.

Single-use masks can take up to 450 years to break down and could release chemical pollutants and nano-plastics into the environment. The past two years have also shown disturbing cases of seabirds and wildlife found tangled in discarded masks.

By registering for the project and tallying the number of masks collected, participants from community and school groups will receive free gloves and bags. Businesses are asked to pay a small fee for clean-up materials.

Shellharbour City Mayor, Chris Homer said this year’s event was a good opportunity to help stop single use items, including face masks and gloves from infiltrating the city’s ecosystems.

“As a result of the pandemic, there has been an increase in single use, disposable items such as face masks, takeaway packaging and cutlery across Shellharbour as well as the rest of Australia,” Mayor Homer said.

“By working together and taking responsibility, we can help preserve and protect Shellharbour’s beautiful environments and coastline from litter and make sure that these spaces remain safe and clean for the future,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Councillor Kellie Marsh has been involved in the Clean Up Australia Day event for the past 20 years. She urged the community to join a registered group or create a group themselves.

"This is such a great way to get involved in your community and it can be a real eye-opener about just how much rubbish ends up in our open spaces and waterways,” Cr Marsh said.

As an added incentive for people to register, Cr Marsh said that Council would give away a free double pass to the Hidden Forest Festival in April.

To register for a local clean up or make a donation visit https://www.cleanup.org.au/

Media enquiries: Kelli Wells 0448 361 008