A local environmental working group is on a mission to spur change this Clean Up Australia Day.
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Plastic Free Launceston are partnering with global volunteer movement, Soroptimist International, this Sunday for a clean-up event at Riverbend Park.
Plastic Free Launceston founder Trish Haeusler said while the area may not appear polluted, she guaranteed it would be littered with small items, including glitter, balloons, food wrappings and cigarette butts.
With Riverbend Park running adjacent to kanamaluka, or the Tamar River, Ms Haeusler said it was an important area to target to prevent rubbish from ending up in waterways.
"We have a direct link to a waterway that has a direct link to a marine environment," she said.
"It's [about] taking community ownership. Here we've got this magnificent estuary and we need to take better care of it."
Ms Haeusler said these events were more than just clean-ups, serving as an opportunity to educate and engage the public.
Along with each clean-up event PFL runs, it provides participants with background on the type of waste and the environmental impacts, also conducting a waste audit at the end of each session.
"I want people leaving not just going 'aren't we great, we've done a clean-up', but 'this is why it's important', and ultimately behavioural change," Ms Haeusler said.
With many clean-ups under her belt, Ms Haeusler said plastic was always the worst offender - particularly food wrappers.
"Plastics don't go away, they just break up into small bits of plastic... they become like little toxic bombs," she said.
Ms Haeusler said "plastic bombs" end up breaking into microplastics, which marine and bird species end up feeding on.
The group is trying to engage businesses in the commercial area to join it in being vigilant about cleaning rubbish.
The clean-up will run at 10am this Sunday March 6, the meeting point at the barbeque area at Riverbend Park. All equipment, bags and gloves will be provided.
The event is a spin-off of Catch it in the Catchment, a clean-up event PFL runs every November. PFL has extended an open invitation to all members of the public wishing to join.
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