Hastings Warehouse teams get hands dirty with big clean-up

Members from The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationery participated in the Great Community Clean Up. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Team members from The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationery in Hastings got their hands dirty on Earth Day, (April 22), collecting 220kg of rubbish from three locations - Whakatu, the Pakowhai River entrance and Oak Avenue.

The Warehouse Hastings duty manager Owen Eagle said 18 team members participated in the Great Community Clean Up, a partnership between The Warehouse and Neighbourly to encourage Kiwis to keep New Zealand clean and green by hosting clean-up events in their neighbourhoods.

Eagle said the main things they collected were plastic packaging and glass bottles.

"We found a large amount of alcohol cans and bottles disposed of at the Pakowhai river entrance.

"There were also bags of what looked like household rubbish lined up against the orchard fence lines. It was quite distressing to see people using beautiful Oak Ave as a dumping ground," he said.

He couldn't believe they collected so much rubbish, and were grateful for the support of the local council.

"The team was so pleased to know they'd played their part in removing a whopping 220kg of rubbish from the community.

"The local council had advised us of areas that might be in need of a clean-up, and allowed us to dispose of the collected rubbish at the Hastings transfer station, free of charge.

"We timed our Clean Up with Earth Day, which we thought was a nice touch."

Eagle says more than a thousand team members from The Warehouse stores around the country have been getting involved in clean-up events.

"It's a fantastic team-building activity," he says. "Not only is the Great Community Clean Up about keeping our environment clean and tidy for everyone to enjoy, it's also about fostering community spirit and connecting with colleagues, friends and neighbours."