Help make our waterways plastic free
Bag Free Pennant Hills, Sydney Water, Hornsby Shire Council and the Pennant Hills District Civic Trust have all joined forces to combat the impact of plastic on our local environment.
They are calling for extra helpers to join them on Sunday 17 February, when they will clean the Blue Gum High Forest along Upper Pyes Creek.
Hornsby Shire Mayor Philip Ruddock expressed enthusiastic support for both the alliance and the clean-up.
“This is a great example of various stakeholders working together for the benefit of all,” Mayor Ruddock said. “We are fortunate to have such spectacular natural heritage in the Bushland Shire and we are all determined to preserve it.”
The clean-up is part of the Sydney Water “Beat the Bottle” initiative that supports grass roots community events and aims to raise awareness of the impact of plastics on local waterways.
Katie Shammas, from Bag Free Pennant Hills, says the most common types of plastic waste in local waterways are polystyrene, plastic bags, bottles, straws, cigarette butts and coffee cups. “We hope that involving the community during the clean-up will bring more awareness to the issue and inspire people to ‘be the change’ they wish to see for our waterways,” Ms Shammas said.
Hornsby Shire Councillor Emma Heyde said the existence of Bag Free Pennant Hills was a positive sign of the direction Hornsby Shire is heading. “There is an overwhelming support in our shire for community-led initiatives and we’re really looking forward to engaging more with locals about the alternatives to single-use plastics,” Councillor Heyde said. “We hope that events like this will also encourage locals to care for our beautiful local environment.”
Upper Pyes Creek forms the boundary between the suburbs of Cherrybrook and Castle Hill, flowing to Berowra Creek and the Hawkesbury River.
Volunteers are invited to participate in “Beat the Bottle in the Bushland” on Sunday 17 February between 10am and noon. The event will commence with a Welcome to Country ceremony.
It won’t be all work, with percussion performers Junkyard Beats on hand to entertain the volunteers.
Upper Pyes Creek Community Clean-Up
Date: Sunday 17 February
Time: 10am-12pm
Location: Erlestoke Park (end of Erlestoke Place) Castle Hill
Event details can be found here:
www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/events
