The dust has finally settled on a massive Christmas break on Bribie Island, but the New Year period was no party for the council officers who had to spend days cleaning up afterwards.
Division 1 Councillor Brooke Savige said she was disappointed by the revellers who left their mess behind for others to deal with.
“I’m pleased to be able to say that we’re starting the new year on the right foot with our pristine beaches all back in tip top shape, but this is only thanks to our hardworking clean-up crews,” she said.
“I want to thank those staff who tirelessly and enthusiastically worked over the holidays to ensure our local parks and beaches were kept clean and safe for locals and visitors alike - I know it was a big job.
“The holidays bring a tourism boon to Bribie, which is great for business; but it’s not okay to forget about caring for our environment and blatantly throw rubbish all over the place.
“Bribie Island is home to some of the best parks, picnic shelters and barbeque facilities in Australia and I want to keep them that way - especially as we head into the Australia Day long weekend.
“I hope to see crowds en masse celebrating in our local parks and beaches, but I also hope to see them doing the Australian thing by taking responsibility and cleaning up afterwards.
“It’s not just un-Australia to litter, it’s actually illegal under Queensland’s Waste Reduction and Recycling (WRR) Act 2011.
“Many locals may not know this by the WRR Act authorises members of the public who witness littering or illegal dumping to report the crime, so that authorised people can issue penalty infringement notices and compliance orders for the clean-up.
“Littering has no place on Bribie Island and there’s no excuse for it in 2019, so I encourage locals to take a stand against litterbugs and let us know if you see any illegal littering.
“Littering is a major issue in Queensland that’s polluting our environment and costing millions of dollars to manage and clean-up each year. We can all do our part.
“In fact, Clean Up Australia Day is just around the corner on Sunday 3 March.
“So why not make it your New Year’s Resolution to get involved?
“Nine sites are already registered for Clean-Up Australia Day from Albany Creek to Redcliffe, Burpengary and Beachmere.
“You can even nominate a site to be cleaned up by heading to Clean Up Australia Day’s website, but the key to success is in convincing friends and family to get involved with you.
“A lot of us do, do the right thing and we’ve got the stats to back that up.
“Just last year alone Moreton Bay Region residents helped recycle more than 34,000 tonnes of kerbside waste and our Treasure Markets sold more than 1,780 tonnes of reusable items.
“Overall more than 262,000 tonnes of waste was recovered from the kerbside and from Council’s 12 waste management facilities, saving vital resources from ending up in landfill.”
“These figures show us that great results happen when there’s a collective effort to make a positive change.”