The staff at Westpac Bank Mount Maunganui branch are getting active about keeping the environment clean in the region.
Last week in a single night they collected about 20kg of rubbish from about 1km of beach as part of the Westpac Beach Clean Up; in conjunction with the Sir Peter Blake Trust.
The team of five walked around the Mount Maunganui Main Beach through the dunes and along the roadside with plastic bags picking up any rubbish left behind.
Westpac Bank branches throughout New Zealand all help in the clean up and aim to collect one million pieces of rubbish over four years.
Last year the Westpac bankers collected 252,724 pieces of rubbish.
Westpac bank manager Ken Robison says the beach is a holiday destination and there is nothing worse than heading to the beach when it is dirty.
He says he would like to see more people involved in the clean-up and maybe some school students could join in, in the future.
The Mount branch has done a couple of clean ups this year and is looking for more hands to help keep the beaches tidy over the summer.
2 comments
Well done volunteers, Councilors join them!
Posted on 24-11-2010 16:48 | By claypole
The thing that gets my goat is why aren't local council ensuring the beaches are kept clean. If 20kg of rubbish can be collected in one night by volunteers, get PD bods out or people on the dole to ensure the beaches are kept clean daily in summer. Every year council put in about 20-30 temporary bins for the influx of visitors, why not keep them permanently for the local community. rubbish is loved by vermin (rats) so as opposed to it been strewn all over the place, have bins with baited stations underneath!
The thing that gets my goat ..
Posted on 25-11-2010 11:20 | By Murray.Guy
The thing that gets my goat is that I pay my rates, dispose of my own rubbish, and more and more, because I own a home, I have to pay to collect the rubbish of others! The more the community is seen to, and actively participates in initiatives such as this, the greater the awareness is created for the community to be responsible, NOT just the Council. I note the rubbish was mostly collected from the dunes and roadside. Some local authorities in NZ and overseas are reducing their level of service provided by way of bins, resulting from evidence that the more authorities provide, the greater the demand that is created. We've all seen the overflowing bins in rural roadside parking areas.
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