Clean Up Week runs from 17 – 23 September, kicking off this year on World Clean Up Day, a global movement that unites millions of volunteers, governments and organisations across 191 countries to tackle the global waste problem and build a sustainable world. Clean Up Week is supported in partnership with Waste Management, EnviroWaste and some councils, which allows volunteers to dispose of the rubbish they collect for free at selected transfer stations. “By extending it about 1.5 kilometres from Grey Lynn to Pt Erin, and building a new Herne Bay wastewater pipe to connect to it, we’ll be able to collect the area’s combined wastewater and stormwater and transport it to our Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant. Watercare and Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters had originally planned a programme of work to separate the combined stormwater/wastewater network in St Marys Bay and Herne Bay, as part of the Western Isthmus Water Quality Improvement Programme, which would significantly reduce overflows into the harbour when it rains.

These increases, along with further costs identified in the design stage to accommodate geotechnical risks, put our most recent cost estimates for the St Marys and Herne Bay separation project at $278 million – well above the original forecast of $136m. However, Watercare chief executive Jon Lamonte says recent cost estimates have prompted a rethink on the best approach to achieving the water quality outcomes the community is eagerly anticipating. With the help of the Mars Wrigley Foundation, free clean up kits will be available on request for ECEs, schools, youth groups, Keep New Zealand Beautiful Community and Educational branches, Individual/Family and Not-for-Profit members who don’t have access to their own clean up materials. Although motorists were advised to continue to drive with caution throughout the region, the Brynderwyn Hill slips had been cleared by the early hours of Sunday morning and Mr MacDonald paid tribute to the efforts of all emergency services, roading agencies and contractors, and other authorities who had again worked through the night dealing with flooding, slips, stranded vehicles and other weather-related issues. A peak rainfall intensity of 33mm/hour was recorded at the Brynderwyn rain gauge in the early hours of Sunday morning. Get your magic eraser wet, and then rub your cool iron along the sponge until the stains come off.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful Ambassador, Michael Van de Elzen is calling all New Zealanders to get involved. Keep New Zealand Beautiful is supported by its Ambassadors, renowned celebrity chef Michael Van de Elzen, media personality Stacey Morrison and artist Hayley King, known as Flox. Iconic Kiwi charity Keep New Zealand Beautiful (KNZB) is excited that its annual Clean Up Week, Aotearoa’s largest movement against litter, is finally here, with the week-long initiative starting this Saturday 17 September. Iconic Kiwi charity Keep New Zealand Beautiful (KNZB) is excited to announce that its annual Clean Up Week, New Zealand’s largest movement against litter, will take place from 17 September until 23 September 2022, with registrations open now. The registration process is simple – participants choose a day to host their event, pick a spot, and KNZB will provide supporting resources to run a successful event. It’s not too late to get involved and do your bit in the community – registrations for Clean Up Week are open via the KNZB website until 23 September. This year Keep New Zealand Beautiful celebrates 55 years of environmental community work, a testament to the organisation’s dedication to protecting Aotearoa’s environment.

“This year we launched both our Upstream and Backyard Battle citizen science programmes which contribute to a national and international data set. For the first time, there will be the opportunity for those involved to contribute to KNZB’s Citizen Science programmes as part of Clean Up Week. People can also purchase reusable clean up kit resources at a cost from KNZB’s online shop. For the first time there will be the opportunity for those involved in Clean Up Week to also contribute to KNZB’s Citizen Science programmes. If your group or team wants to take a deeper look at the litter in your area, participating in a citizen science programme and recording the litter types, weights and locations will provide a secondary dataset to the National Litter Audit. “All too often we see litter within our communities and pass it off as somebody else’s problem. The programmes are a great way for individuals to get involved, collaborate, and contribute to the litter solution while gaining experience in data collection and analysis. Watercare is planning to extend the Central Interceptor wastewater tunnel all the way to Pt Erin in a bid to clean up Auckland’s city fringe beaches at St Marys and Herne Bays.