One hundred days of action to clean up for World Environment Day, has made its mark on the streets of Moreland, transforming a tired community into a force to be reckoned with.
In March, Moreland City Council kicked off the Our Moreland Looking Good cleanup campaign, aiming to work with residents to identify and reclaim grot spots and stop illegal rubbish dumping.
“We wanted residents to have a greater sense of pride in their community,” Moreland City Council Mayor Councillor Lambros Tapinos said.
“Now the community knows Council is out there working hard to beat rubbish dumping and graffiti. Everyone is eager to help out. It’s a great start.”
The Our Moreland Looking Good campaign kicked off with a community survey to highlight trouble spots and gauge community reaction to streets and parks.
Forty-eight per cent of respondents said they were unhappy with the cleanliness of Moreland’s streets, with 51 per cent being ‘satisfied’.
“Nearly half the respondents were unhappy with the look of the city,” Councillor Tapinos said.
“We wanted to break that tie and turn our community into a proud majority. A lot of residents put their hands up to pitch in and the place is starting to look great.
“We’ve had planting days and community cleanups, competitions for sporting clubs and residents, and we’ve had a lot more people reporting rubbish dumpers in their area.
“We began educating the community on how to report illegal dumping after 95 per cent of respondents to the survey said they wanted offenders stopped, but didn’t know how.
“We gave them the means and they’ve given us the help.”
Mayor Tapinos said he wanted residents and traders to feel empowered to do something about the persistent problem of illegal rubbish dumping.
“We’ve also pushed the message that recycling or composting waste is preferable to throwing things in the bin, and selling old furniture or household goods – or disposing of them safely and thoughtfully – is better than dumping
them in our parks and laneways,” Mayor Tapinos said. “In the lead up to World Environment Day, we really wanted to show that we are doing something, that we care about the city and our residents. Working with the community, we’ve been able to clean things up and make a difference. And that’s what World Environment Day is all about.”
