Clean house, clean country.
Making your own products is one half. The other is the beach, the creek and the park down the road. Here are the national initiatives and the local council programs that make it easy to show up.
Clean Up Australia Day
First Sunday in March (Business and Schools days in the same week)
Australia's largest community clean-up. Register a site, join one near you, or run a Step Up clean-up any day of the year.
Sea Shepherd Marine Debris Campaign
Beach clean-ups year-round, every state
Volunteer-run beach and waterway clean-ups with data recorded to the Australian Marine Debris Initiative.
Take 3 for the Sea
Every visit to the beach
Take three pieces of rubbish with you when you leave. Simple, Australian-born, global.
Tangaroa Blue — Australian Marine Debris Initiative
Events listed by region
Clean-ups that feed a national database used to stop debris at the source.
Landcare Australia
Year-round
Find your local Landcare, Coastcare or Bushcare group — weeding, planting, dune restoration.
National Tree Day (Planet Ark)
Last Sunday in July (Schools Tree Day the Friday before)
Australia's biggest community tree-planting event.
Conservation Volunteers Australia
Year-round
Structured volunteer days — habitat restoration, wildlife surveys, revegetation.
Keep Australia Beautiful
Year-round, state branches
Tidy Towns, litter prevention and sustainability programs, plus the Adopt-a-Spot scheme.
From your council
Every council is different, but these programs exist almost everywhere. Search your council's website for them, or ring and ask.
- Hard-rubbish and e-waste collection dates — most councils run two a year; book early.
- Chemical CleanOut / household hazardous waste drop-offs (paint, pool chemicals, old cleaners you've just replaced).
- Free compost bins, worm farms and native plant giveaways — many councils run them each spring.
- Bushcare and 'Friends of' park groups — usually listed under Environment on your council website.
- Container deposit schemes: 10c a container in every state and territory. Search your state's scheme (Return and Earn, Containers for Change, CDS Vic, etc.).
Know a local clean-up or group?
Post it on the community board with the suburb and a link — we add vetted local initiatives to this page.