Love Whangārei Monthly Clean Up to target bush near central city

Jenny Heke with her 9-year-old daughter Estelle at the Onerahi lookout clean up last month. Photo/John Stone

It's the turn of bush along Mackesy Rd in Whangārei to be the target of a monthly rubbish clean up.

The February Love Whangārei Monthly Clean Up, hosted by F.O.R.C.E (For Our Real Clean Environment) is on Sunday, meeting at 10am behind the fish bus stop on the corner of Mackesy Rd and Riverside Drive.

The clean up will focus on the bush along Mackesy Rd - an area known for roadside dumping and bottles, cans and other debris can be seen scattered down the roadside bank.

Volunteers are invited to help clean up and beautify their city by pitching in to pick up the rubbish. People will be rewarded with a feeling of pride in making a positive impact in their community as well as giveaways.

Those attending should bring water, a snack, suitable shoes, gloves if possible and enthusiasm. Organisers will provide bags, some gloves and hi-vis vests.

In January the group removed 1140kg of rubbish and separated recycling from the banks below the Onerahi lookout.

Last year, the volunteers removed over six tonne of rubbish from the Whangārei environment.

Co-ordinators Karen Lee and Nicholas Connop are excited for what 2019 will bring for the group.

After becoming a registered charity in December the trust will now look for partnerships and funding to expand its waste minimisation projects.

"The dream is to divert as much of Whangārei's waste from landfill as possible. It is going to take creative thinking and lots of community support but I believe it is possible," Lee said.

Those who wish to support the clean ups but are unable to attend the events can now make donations to the trust through www.force.org.nz