Picking up litter all good clean fun for Sanitarium staff

Sanitarium staff on the NSW Central Coast recently had some good clean fun at the Return and Earn Business Clean Up Day.

Twenty staff volunteered at Sanitarium’s Berkeley Vale site. Between them they filled 10 Clean Up bags – around 100kg of litter. They also dragged a full truckload worth of bulky items out of the bush and creek, which the local council later collected.

Two clean up sessions were held, the first in the early morning before work and a second one at lunch time.

Sanitarium Resource Optimisation Manager Daniel Waters said, “I was so impressed by the group of volunteers who got out there with headlamps and followed the stormwater drainage reserve down to Ourimbah Creek in the early morning to remove litter from this waterway.”

Daniel added that he was inspired by the number of volunteers who took part in the clean up sessions, and that he and everyone involved “had a lot of fun”.

Staff volunteer Laura Augros said she was keen to participate because she believes every individual can make a difference.

“It is easy to think, ‘I am only one person what can I do?’ Or to say it’s the government’s responsibility, or that Australia is only a small part of our Earth’s problem,” said Laura. “I know I can only control what I do – and I am passionate about ensuring that I do whatever I can to have a positive impact.”

As well participating in the annual clean up days, staff have installed Return and Earn recycling bins in their Berkeley Vale factory canteen and in their head office kitchen. Proceeds from the container refunds go towards food for the Sunday Coast Shelter meals program, providing free meals for homeless or vulnerable community members. Volunteers from Sanitarium run the meals program every eight weeks on a rotating basis.

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