The
foreshore area around the playground on Kiwi Esplanade is now sparkling after
our clean up on the weekend. Over forty
locals, including lots of children, combed the area for rubbish over a couple
of hours. Karl and Alison, recent
arrivals in Mangere Bridge, were pleased to have an opportunity to help out in
a community they’ve found to be a “friendly place”. Maja (10) and Jarvis (7) were keen to clean
up the area to “help all the animals that are eating the rubbish”. Mitchell (10), Ayden and Keegan (12) came
because they see themselves as “part of a community”. They enjoyed being out in the sunshine,
getting muddy and hanging out with friends.
Many people were surprised at the amount of rubbish, which they hadn’t noticed before. “This is where kids play and there’s glass all over it. It’s upsetting”, said Mangere Bridge resident Coreena Kearns. All sorts of rubbish was collected during the clean up, including broken glass, beer cans, fishing equipment, clothing and nappies. Friends of the Farm who organised the event also sorted and weighed the rubbish. We collected 111kg of rubbish, of which 20 kg was able to be recycled.
Clean up participants would love the beach area to stay clean and tidy so that it can be a place where people can swim safely without fear of what’s under the water or what they might step on. Some were so inspired they’d like to make this a monthly event! If anyone feels the urge to pick up rubbish in future and would like others to join them, let us know and we can share it on our Facebook page and on the Neighbourly website and rally others to join in. A big thank you to everyone who helped make our community a safer and more beautiful place!
