Wollongong Mountain Bike Club members spend their Sunday morning clearing tonnes of rubbish out of the escarpment. Photo: Craig Morris.
The Illawarra is now several tonnes of rubbish lighter, after a mammoth effort from Wollongong Mountain Bike Club.
More than 40 members – men, women and children aged from 12 to 60 hooked in for hours on Sunday to give Mother Nature some love.
Club member Craig Morris said a couple of members put a call-out on Facebook for volunteers and it quickly took off.
“We ride up the escarpment quite a lot and there is a lot of litter around lately,” he said.
“When you drive along Mount Keira Road, Clive Bissel Drive and Henry Graham Drive it’s obvious there’s paper and cans and bottles along the side of the road.
“But if you look a little deeper, over the guardrail, anywhere you can stop that there’s a shoulder, lots of large junk has been dumped, like electrical cables, roofing and furniture.
“We love the environment, we love the bush and it’s a shame to see so much rubbish up there.”
Craig said that when the volunteers first got started they were dismayed to find how much illegal dumping had taken place on the escarpment.
Over the course of the day the group picked up more than 100 tyres, several car wheels and parts, containers of motor oil, pool parts, electrical wiring, furniture and miscellaneous junk along with general rubbish and litter.
“A lot of us got quite angry when we first got up there,” Craig said.
“It’s hard to believe people dump their junk in the bush when the council will come and pick it up for free.
“We separated into teams and worked up the roads and when we could see the results everyone felt good about what we’d been able to achieve.”
Wollongong City Council supported the club’s efforts through the Rise & Shine program, providing bags, gloves and other items to support the cleanup.
The council and the Environment Protection Agency will remove the rubbish collected by the volunteers.
Craig said club members enjoyed the opportunity to socialise as the club revitalised ahead of new, official trails being built on the escarpment.
“The club has been around for 10-15 years, but without sanctioned trails it’s been a bit dormant,” he said.
“With new trails being built a bunch of us have got together again, so when they’re finished there are a bunch of members ready to manage and maintain them.
“There’s been a lot of enthusiasm, excitement and positivity. It’s the first time we’ve had managed, sanctioned trails on the escarpment, and the plans look really good.
“We can’t wait for them to be finished so people can get out and enjoy riding through the beautiful green bush.”
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