When Ian Kiernan AO first asked Australians to help, forty thousand turned up. A generation later, volunteers have multiplied dramatically but so has the plastic litter. 

As World Environment Day approaches this Friday 5th June, Clean Up Australia is encouraging Australians to take simple, everyday actions that can make a meaningful difference for our environment and wildlife, from reducing single-use plastics and making more sustainable choices to supporting the organisation’s work year-round through volunteering or making a donation. 

For more than 35 years, millions of Australians have come together to help Clean Up and protect beaches, bushland, parks and waterways across the country. When Clean Up Australia volunteers first began counting and recording litter more than three decades ago in 1991, plastic made up 47.3% of all collected litter. Today, it accounts for more than 81%, highlighting how significantly our consumption and waste habits have changed in a single generation.

Each year, an estimated 130,000 tonnes of plastic litter enters Australia’s marine environment, impacting oceans and wildlife. While the challenge is significant, Clean Up Australia believes there is also a real opportunity to work together to reduce plastic waste and create lasting change for future generations.

"Over a million people volunteer to Clean Up Australia every year to help care for the places and wildlife we all love, and that community spirit is something to be genuinely proud of", said Clean Up Australia Chair, Pip Kiernan. 

“While there’s still more to do, we know that positive change is possible when we all work together. At Clean Up Australia, our work continues all year round, providing free Clean Up kits, education in classrooms, reducing plastic waste, removing rubbish from streets, beaches, bushland and waterways, and helping to protect our precious marine and wildlife. That takes real resources, and that's why we need your help. If you can donate, every contribution makes a difference. Every volunteer effort, conversation and donation helps us to continue that work and create a cleaner, healthier future for generations to come.”

Donate now at cleanup.org.au