alt Hacker NewsI always bring bags/gloves/grabber with me whenever I visit the local national park. The rubbish is particularly bad in popular picnic spots, like the areas around Audley^1. The NPWS staff do a great job of keeping the parks clean, but they can't get everything. You'd be shocked how quickly you can fill a garbage bag on a short walk. The most common items by far are disposable coffee cups and cigarette packets (with nearly 100% imported packaging). Just make sure you're careful about snakes in summer. I once put my hand within striking distance when picking up a chip packet! Some of them are so well camouflaged.
1: https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/cafes-and-...
Replies
I spent an enjoyable afternoon on Kailua beach snorkeling for garbage. I found a fishing pole, a complete snorkeling set, and bunches of other stuff. I just grabbed what I found, took it back to the beach, and dumped it in the garbage can. Very satisfying day.
I do this with my son when we go for a walk through our nearby reserve! I'm trying to teach him about nature and keeping our environment clean and how we live alongside nature and we should take care of it. He's pretty invested now which is great - when we forget to bring a bag he always mentions it, or if we're walking somewhere else like on the way to kinder he'll point out some rubbish and say we should have brought a bag with us.
Audley and the Sutherland Shire was pristine growing up in the 80s. What's changed?
Thanks mate, glad I'm not alone doing this.
When my brother and I were young, my parents used to pay us 5 cents for every piece of rubbish we picked up on bushwalks. We got a few dollars to buy the things they would have invariably bought for us anyway, and the walking tracks became, for at least an hour or so, free from garbage.