Isabel Osborne and Tallulah McKenzie are taking a stance for the environment this tourism season.
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With the influx of visitors, and some pretty inclement weather in the past few weeks, the recent high school graduates noticed copious amounts of rubbish were polluting some of the most used summer spots for locals and tourists alike.
They said the McLean Beach area and the Edward River following the Beach to Beach walk to the Deniliquin CBD were particularly littered.
Together, they planned a public clean-up last week and created a special Facebook event to get others there to help them.
They managed to inspire 20 people to help them out, including some of the staff from Deniliquin McDonald’s.
Miss Osborne said it was fitting to get the help from the local restaurant as a percentage of the rubbish collected was stamped with their brand.
‘‘Walking down the river, I saw 14 McDonald’s cups discarded in both the river and on the bank,’’ she said.
‘‘We found everything from take-away boxes, to empty stubbies, cigarette butts and broken glass had been left behind or even just discarded.
‘‘It (the Beach to Beach track) is a beautiful river walk.
‘‘When you first look there doesn’t seem much (rubbish) at all, yet when you’re searching it’s amazing how much litter there actually is.’’
Miss McKenzie said the other aim of the clean-up event was to inspire people to think about how they can care for their environment all year.
‘‘This was a great way to engage younger generations, making it a social event with a purpose,’’ she said.
The volunteers started their clean-up at the popular McLean Beach in west Deniliquin about 5pm Thursday, and made their way along the Beach to Beach track to Edwardes St where bags of rubbish were loaded into a waiting ute.
Fifteen full bags were collected, and anything which can be recycled will be salvaged before the rubbish is disposed of correctly.
Taking part in the clean-up to help her sister, Calypso McKenzie said she was outraged that ‘‘Deni has more rubbish on our beaches than in the bins’’.
Deniliquin McDonald’s restaurant manager Josh Berryman said he and his staff wanted to assist with the clean-up to ‘‘help where we can’’.
‘‘It comes down to our values, one of which is community,’’ he said.
‘‘McDonald’s Australia is also a major sponsor for Clean Up Australia Day, which we have participated in for 10 to 15 years.’’
Given its success last week, Miss Osborne and Miss McKenzie hope to organise more clean-up events in the future.
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