Clean Up Australia Day is on again on Sunday 6 March and now is the time to get your local community group or a bunch of friends together to clean up a site near you.

East Gippsland Shire Council supports Clean Up Australia Day by accepting the labelled bags from registered sites at no charge. These can be dropped off at any Council landfill or transfer station.

To take part, you need to register your event. It’s free and you will be sent a pack with all your essentials for the day, including the labelled rubbish collection bags.

If you’d rather not run an event, you can join an existing event. The Clean Up Australia Day website has a list of all events.

Mayor Cr Mark Reeves encouraged everyone to get involved in Clean Up Australia.

“While it is a shame there needs to be an event like Clean Up Australia Day, on the flip-side it is heartening to see so many people caring for the natural environment. Council provides street bins around the shire but if there is no bin, or the bin is full, people need to take their rubbish home,” Cr Reeves said.

The Raymond Island Landcare Group is a community that has been taking part in Clean Up Australia Day for many years and is set to do it again. Their event will begin at 9.30 am at Ferry Park on Seventh Avenue. Small teams will then work to clean up different parts of the island.

The clean up will finish around 11.30 am and there will be a sausage sizzle afterwards. Everyone is welcome to join this event.

After a busy tourist season, the group’s Clean Up Australia Day efforts ensure Raymond Island is returned back to its beautiful state.

To find an event near you visit the Clean Up Australia website, www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au