Pipe Management Australia (PMA) is a business supporter of Clean Up Australia Day 2021 and has conducted three successful Business Clean Up events this week in Queensland and NSW.
Pipe Management Australia has been a business supporter of Clean Up Australia since 2020. PMA provides daily stormwater maintenance services for local councils up and down the East Coast.
On Saturday, February 27, PMA partnered with Brisbane City Council for a community clean up event staged on the banks of Kedron Brook, alongside a busy bike and pedestrian track near Toombul Shopping Centre.
Brisbane City Council’s litter prevention team provided community education. This was in the form of their “104 or More,” program, which encourages individuals to pick up two pieces of litter every week.
Around 25 visitors were able to play a part in cleaning up microplastics around the area. This included Brisbane City Councillor, Adam Allan, who stopped in to lend a hand.
On Tuesday, March 2, the PMA Sydney-based team stepped up to remove rubbish from Kolombo Reserve, Oran Park in Sydney’s West. Clean Up Australia Chair, Pip Kiernan and the team stopped in for some interviews with the team.
Ms Kiernan, said now is the time for all Australians to Step Up to Clean Up, to help protect and conserve local environments.
“This year has seen disruption to our lives, not least of all to our local environments which have been impacted by increased uptake of single-use, disposable items,” said Ms Kiernan.
“We know Australians everywhere are itching to get involved… Indeed, it’s never been more important to get involved and make a real difference.”
Justin Johansen, the CEO at PMA explained why the PMA team were keen to get behind Clean Up Australia. “At Pipe Management Australia, we manage stormwater assets across Australia’s East Coast, so we constantly see how much litter makes its way into the stormwater systems of our towns and cities. Ultimately this litter makes its way into our rivers and the ocean.”
In all, over 15 bags of rubbish and a shopping trolley were collected during the morning. Special thanks goes to TRN Group and Greenfields Development Company for welcoming PMA to clean their site.
On the same morning, around 20 PMA and Unitywater team members joined forces with the support of Moreton Bay Regional Council at Centenary Lakes Park in Caboolture.
Unitywater Chief Executive Officer George Theo said the utility was enthusiastic about being involved in the clean up.
“This cause is one that’s incredibly important to our organisation and our people, as is our commitment to reducing plastic waste in our waterways and limiting single use plastics,” Mr Theo said.
PMA Executive General Manager, Phil Symons provided direction for the day, with the focus being on micro litter,
“When plastic litter breaks up into smaller pieces, it can remain in the environment for centuries as microplastics.”
“We’re proud to work with organisations like Unitywater and Moreton Bay Regional Council to play a role in reducing plastic pollution by cleaning stormwater assets, and encourage everyone to participate in a Clean Up Australia event, and where possible, reduce, reuse and recycle.”
The group broke into teams to search for microlitter across the park. Meanwhile, PMAs “Tinnie” was commissioned to remove litter from the Caboolture River.
The rubbish collected was categorised with cigarette butts, confectionery wrappers, and fast food as some of the major offenders.
Clean Up Australia’s community day takes place this Sunday, March 7.
Step up to clean up and find a local event near you at cleanup.org.au