Clean Up NZ Week: 1.3 mil Participants Expected

22 May 2007

Press Release

Immediate use

Clean Up New Zealand Week
1.3 million Participants Expected,

8th September to 16th

One of the greatest mass-participation events in New Zealand will happen this year when around 1.3 million people accept Keep New Zealand Beautiful's invitation to give the country its annual spring clean.

Clean Up New Zealand Week starts on 8 September and continues until the 16th.

Last year's event attracted 900,000 participants who stuffed 900,000 bags full of rubbish. The 1.3 million participation target looks certain with that number already having indicated that they'll join in.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful chief executive, Barry Lucinsky, says every week tonnes of rubbish litters roadsides, parks, gardens, riverbanks and beaches. Clean Up New Zealand Week tries to get rid of much of that carelessly dumped rubbish.

"We have the reputation of a clean, green country. Well, now it's time to earn that good image. It can be tossed away so easily if tourists have to wade through ankledeep litter at every attraction they attend. And, I am affronted by the junk and litter that people toss carelessly aside. We all want it cleaned up."

Keep New Zealand Beautiful has attracted support from some of New Zealand's best-known companies and it has the financial and logistical backing too of most local authorities, and the Ministry for the Environment.

"We seem to have become a mass movement," Mr Lucinsky says, "Don't let anybody tell you that the modern Kiwi can't get cracking on something as big as this. Whether it's an hour or a day of their time, we've caught their interest in this."

Keep New Zealand Beautiful has invited businesses, community groups, schools and individuals to sign up for the spring clean. The society provides rubbish bags and protective gloves and some general health and safety guidelines Keep New Zealand Beautiful celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and its future looks set for another 40, according to Barry Lucinsky. "Some of the most enthusiastic support for this week comes from school children. They'll inherit this country from us and it's fantastic to see that even so young, they know they need to work to keep it the marvellous place that the rest of us have grown up in and enjoyed," he says.

ENDS

www.knzb.org.nz

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