Gunnible cleans up Namoi waste

Gunnible Landcare Group joined thousands across the country for Clean Up Australia Day at the weekend.

The group focused on an area of the Namoi River near Cohens Bridge and continued past the ‘Pig Hole’ along O’Keefe Avenue.

Among the assortment of discarded waste collected included a freezer, a microwave, mattress skeletons and “loads of general rubbish”.

All garbage and waste items were disposed of in private bins supplied by the group.

Local landcare coordinator, Lisa Bates, thanked all volunteers for their effort on Sunday, particularly Margaret and Geoff Hood who helped organise the clean up.

“They have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the Landcare group alive in recent drought years,” Ms Bates said.

She also encouraged more Gunnedah residents to join next year’s Clean Up Australia Day, which nationally, is growing in popularity.

Clean Up Australia chair Pip Kiernan said attendance figures at this year’s events were 30 per cent higher than the previous year.

Kiernan said cigarette butts have always been the most collected litter item and plastics were a perennial problem.