Aintree Community Comes Together for Annual Clean Up

Dozens of people from the Aintree community come out to Deanside Wetlands for a vital clean up as part of the nationwide Clean Up Australia Day movement.

Story by  
March 26, 2025

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Australians put on their gloves, go outside, and pick up some rubbish in the hopes of protecting their local environment. 

Clean Up Australia Day was first held 35 years ago, and has since become our nation’s largest volunteer-based environmental event. On the first Sunday of March every year, people from all ages and backgrounds come together to help eliminate litter. Clean Up Australia has created a great opportunity for environmental action and community mobilisation, with many community groups now organising and committing to their own regular cleanups throughout the year.

One of these community groups is We Love Aintree, a social enterprise dedicated to local environmental initiatives and community connection, who have facilitated their 8th annual community clean up this year at the Deanside Wetlands in Aintree. Dozens of local volunteers attended, many of whom were families from the local area or community groups, such as the Aintree Scouts and Trash Patrol.

The team at We Love Aintree initiated the event by handing out gloves and equipment, and explaining the importance of the clean up to the local environment.

We Love Aintree brought along a trailer for the bagged rubbish and green waste to be transported and disposed of. Reusable gloves were laid out and made available for anyone to use on the day.

The Deanside Wetlands provide a diverse range of natural habitats for native flora and fauna. Ducks, swans, frogs, and kangaroos can all be found in the area. The wetlands act as an essential part of the local ecosystem in Aintree, but have unfortunately been subject to increasing pollution. Human activity and development in the area has led to rubbish coming into the wetlands, and this poses a significant threat to the local wildlife, which can become entangled or even ingest the litter. Green waste has also become an issue, as invasive weeds such as Kikuyu grass can spread aggressively.

“I live in this area so it’s important that I do my part to protect it,” shared one of the volunteers.

“It’s great seeing all of these people out here today showing support for the cause. When we leave this place in a couple of hours, it’s going to be in a much better state than how we found it.”

Volunteers holding rubbish pickers and bags, collecting litter throughout the Deanside Wetlands.

Indeed, the volunteers showed their community spirit as they made their way through the wetlands and collected any rubbish on sight. By the end of the event, the group had collected a total of 3.5 cubic metres of bagged rubbish and 1.25 cubic metres of green waste. 

The result of just this one clean up was remarkable, and it’s a shining example of what communities are capable of when working towards something collectively.

Clean Up Australia Day is a great way for people to come together and take environmental action in their own streets, but it doesn’t need to be limited to just one event or day of the year. Get to know your neighbourhood and help to keep it clean by doing your own clean up, or by joining one happening near you. If you’re a local in the Melton area, the Melton Botanic Garden and We Love Aintree host regular cleanups that are easy to join!

Bags of rubbish and green waste piled on to the trailer following the clean up.
Cathy is a passionate storyteller from Good News Melton, drawing from her experiences in community services and local government to inspire and uplift her community.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Australians put on their gloves, go outside, and pick up some rubbish in the hopes of protecting their local environment. 

Clean Up Australia Day was first held 35 years ago, and has since become our nation’s largest volunteer-based environmental event. On the first Sunday of March every year, people from all ages and backgrounds come together to help eliminate litter. Clean Up Australia has created a great opportunity for environmental action and community mobilisation, with many community groups now organising and committing to their own regular cleanups throughout the year.

One of these community groups is We Love Aintree, a social enterprise dedicated to local environmental initiatives and community connection, who have facilitated their 8th annual community clean up this year at the Deanside Wetlands in Aintree. Dozens of local volunteers attended, many of whom were families from the local area or community groups, such as the Aintree Scouts and Trash Patrol.

The team at We Love Aintree initiated the event by handing out gloves and equipment, and explaining the importance of the clean up to the local environment.

Cathy La
is a journalist at Good News Melton. She ipsum ultricies aptent sollicitudin est congue. You can find her stories here.

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