LAST week, around 15 local schools and community groups ventured outside to help clean up the Southern Grampians for Clean Up Australia Day.

The Southern Grampians Shire Council (SGSC) and the Rotary Club of Hamilton joined forces to organise and promote the day.

SGSC natural resource management field officer, Marten Chin, who helped organised the day, said this year’s event was a great success, with hundreds of kilograms of rubbish diverted from waterways.

“We were very pleased with the response,” he said.

 “We targeted Lake Hamilton and the Grange Burn, with over 300kgs collected between the two locations - mainly small plastics that would otherwise end up in local waterways, creeks and wetlands.

“Our local works crew targeted the CBD, collecting over 200kgs from carparks and community spaces.”

Around 90 students from Tarrington Lutheran School made their way to Tarrington Oval last Friday to join the clean-up efforts.

With a rubbish bag, tongs and gloves in hand, the students made their way around the sportsground, picking up all litter in sight.

Tarrington Lutheran School principal, James Phillips said initiatives like Clean Up Australia Day were integral to the school’s ethos and provided students with an opportunity to put their values into action.

“We’ve got three core values at the school, service, integrity and respect, so we talk to the students about which is faith active in love,” he said.

“We could talk about nice things all day, but we really want to instil those values, so service for us looks like modelling that to students, bringing them out and showing them how to serve the wider community.”

Mr Chin said following the success of this year’s collection, he and fellow organiser, Rotary Hamilton Environment Committee chairperson, Margaret Moffatt have already started planning Clean Up Australia Day 2023.

“Next year’s event planning is already underway with plans to run it over two days,” he said.

“Southern Grampians Shire Council and Rotary of Hamilton would like to thank everyone involved - we look forward to promoting next year’s event.”

Clean Up Australia Day participants included St Mary's Primary School Hamilton, St Joseph's School Coleraine, Hamilton Scout Group, Dunkeld Consolidated School, 3rd Hamilton Guides, Baimbridge College, Penshurst Primary School, Mulleraterong Centre, Cavendish Primary School, Roscoe Avenue Children’s Centre, Tarrington Lutheran School, Wannon Nigretta Community Group, Hamilton Lions Club, and Rotary Club of Hamilton.