Clean Up Australia Day returns on Sunday 1 March 2026, with Armidale Regional Council once again encouraging locals to roll up their sleeves and take part in the nation’s largest community environmental event.
Since its inception, more than 23 million volunteers have participated in Clean Up Australia activities. In 2025 alone, more than 800,000 people took part in 8,000 events nationwide during the campaign period.
Clean Up Australia Chair Pip Kiernan said litter and recycling challenges continue to evolve, but the problem of waste in the natural environment remains significant.
“Our nation’s litter disposal and recycling challenges are continuously shifting, but the one thing we know for certain is that too much litter is still making its way into our streets, parks, bushlands, and waterways,” she said.
Armidale Regional Council Waste Manager Guada Lado said the local event continues to attract strong community support each year.
“The Armidale Regional Council event attracts over 100 volunteers each year and is a positive sign of a strong community that cares for its environment,” Ms Lado said.
This year, volunteers will focus on the Creeklands area, where plastics remain the most commonly recorded litter item.
“We are cleaning up alongside the Creeklands as the biggest litter items are plastics (80.8% of all counted litter), which enter the marine and land environment and break down into microplastics, which are ingested by animals and then humans,” Ms Lado said.
Cigarette butts are also a major concern, accounting for more than 23 per cent of litter items collected. They can leach toxic chemicals into soil and waterways.
Ms Lado said the annual event highlights Armidale’s strong sense of community.
“The local event showcases Armidale’s community spirit with people from all walks of life coming together to look after our natural environment,” she said.
“Armidale Regional Council appreciates all volunteers and invites them to stay for a sausage sizzle after the event.”
Residents can join Armidale Regional Council’s Clean Up Australia Day event from 10am to 12pm on Sunday, with assembly at the Curtis Park Picnic Shelter.
Other local events are also planned across the region.
The Armidale Dumaresq Lions Club will hold a clean-up from 8.30am to 10.30am on Sunday, 1 March, near the bike track off Cookes Road, focusing on the area beside Dumaresq Creek.
In Tamworth, the Tamworth City Lions Club will meet at 8am at the Ebsworth Street Lions Gardens. The Rotary Club of Tamworth First Light will also gather at 8am at 561 Peel Street, meeting at the picnic bench next to Hungry Jack’s. West is Best: Bridge Street Blitz will run from 9am to 11.30am at the corner of Bridge and Belmore streets in West Tamworth, meeting outside the Monogram It shop on Bridge Street.
To take part, or to find an event closest to you, volunteers can register online via the Clean Up Australia website or sign up on the day. https://register.cleanup.org.au/join-a-clean-up
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