For the love of Mauao, 'amazing' clean-up of last year will get a repeat next Sunday

Volunteers are being asked to help pick up rubbish from on and around Mauao next Sunday, February 12, from 9.30am. PHOTO/RUTH KEBER

Deck chairs, flip flops, tents, fishing line, rotten bait and disposable coffee cups were all found on Mauao on Valentine's Day last year.

This year the clean-up is happening again and organiser Julia Graham hopes more than 100 people will turn up on the day to help.

The Love Mauao Valentine's Rubbish Clean-Up will take place on Sunday, February 12 from 9.30am.

Ms Graham said last year volunteers collected more than 80 rubbish bags full of rubbish.

The event was organised for this time of year because the tourists had generally been and gone for the summer.

"There is always a lot of extra mess lying around. The population increases so rubbish increases too," she told the Bay of Plenty Times.

Last year she co-ordinated the clean-up, which fell on Valentine's Day, and decided she ought to make it an annual thing.

"What a great idea, let's show Mauao some love and spend Valentine's Day on Mauao.
It was such an amazing success."

Ms Graham said they had more than 100 people come and help clean Mauao, Main Beach and Leisure Island last year.

Rubbish, especially rotten bait, was a particular problem for Mauao because it attracted pests which they were trying to get rid of.

"It's a great opportunity to get your family out there, do something awesome for our environment, show Mauao some love, then have a picnic on the beach and a swim afterwards."

Ms Graham said they also separated out all the recycling last year and took what they could to the transfer station.

A cleanup of Mauao will take place on February 12, from 9.30am. PHOTO/FILE

For more information head to the Love Mauao Valentine's Rubbish Clean-Up Facebook page or be down on the lawn outside Mount Maunganui Surf Club from 9.30am on Sunday, February 12.