Why this Campsie duo are keen to clean up
RUBBISH is a massive problem in Campsie and it prompted young locals Shyama Sri and Isabelle Whitington to found Cleaner Campsie to educate residents about the importance of keeping their streets clean.
The Express
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RUBBISH is a massive problem in Campsie and now a couple of young residents are fighting back.
Young locals Shyama Sri and Isabelle Whitington founded Cleaner Campsie to educate residents about the importance of keeping their streets free of rubbish.
The good friends said they were appalled at the rubbish, saying that the developments, new arrivals and lack of policing is causing the problem.
“We started the Cleaner Campsie initiative mid-last year after we were disheartened to see the enormous amount of litter and rubbish that lined our streets on our daily walk to work,” Ms Sri said.
“We used to trade stories about the latest dumped item or rubbish we observed on our street — some of the items we saw were almost unbelievable.
“It’s still early days but we are in contact with Canterbury Bankstown Council and another environmental group.”
Their Cleaner Campsie Instagram account is filled with images of discarded clothes, thrown out toilets and trolleys that float atop of the Cooks River.
Canterbury Bankstown Council acknowledged that rubbish is an issue, but said their campaigns are having some success, with a Campsie business recently fined $2000 for illegal dumping offences.
“Unfortunately, illegal dumping and litter is an issue throughout Sydney, including Canterbury-Bankstown,” a council spokeswoman said.
“It’s why we established the Sydney Regional Illegal Dumping squad, which is based in Bankstown.
“We also run targeted litter campaigns throughout the city, including Keep Campsie Clean, which involved educating businesses, distribution of posters in different languages and focus groups with interpreters to reach non-English speaking residents.
“That program reduced litter in Campsie by one third.
“Next month, we begin a joint program with the EPA to target cigarette butt littering, with council officers patrolling areas like Anzac Mall.”
She said they are working with other councils on dumping while their local programs are also working, with 223 household clean-ups a day being registered.
Ms Sri and Ms Whitington say they are passionate about their suburb and are paying out of their own pockets for printing and other work.
“It (the littering) is not pretty, but unfortunately it is fast becoming the reality of everyday Campsie,” Ms Whitington said.
“There are issues around translation of signage into community languages, lack of policing and a general community attitude of litter being someone else’s problem.
“We believe that as a local community group we can start to tackle the problem in small ways and that any action, however small, is more effective than just sitting on our hands and waiting for council to take care of the problem for us.”
The duo know it is a problem which needs both long term and short term solutions, and say their initiative — which includes educational flyers — is designed to make it easier for residents, where many speak a language other than English.
Ms Sri and Whitington are hoping the council, schools and community groups are able to work together to make Campsie a more beautiful and rubbish-free suburb.
■ To join the group or to help, check their Facebook page.
■ For council’s litter prevention programs, visit cb.city/litterprevention
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