Ride to Recycle to clean up popular tracks

Cyclists will be sprucing up tracks alongside Rotorua’s Puarenga Stream and the Sulphur Flats area next week as part of the city’s fourth Ride to Recycle event.

Organised through Keep Rotorua Beautiful, the ride next Tuesday [17 February] will involve riders picking up litter along selected routes and is part of the annual Rotorua Bike Festival programme.

The Ride to Recycle concept has proven popular with local riders with volunteer Marcello Ojerio taking a lead role and Burger Fuel providing sponsorship.

Rotorua Lakes Council Sustainability Advisor (Keep Rotorua Beautiful), Rose Hiha-Agnew, says the focus on Tuesday will be Long Mile Road in the Redwoods and the tracks alongside Puarenga Stream and through Sulphur Point.

A lot of recyclables have been collected during the previous rides and the idea is to help keep Rotorua free of litter.

“We can all play a role in helping to keep Rotorua clean, green and attractive – our natural environment is one of our biggest assets,” Mrs Hiha-Agnew says. “These events are helping to reduce the amount of plastics and waste that would otherwise end up on our land and in our streams and lakes.”

The Ride to Recycle concept is supported by a community volunteer network which is encouraging wider participation and providing a base to draw on for future initiatives aimed at reducing waste and minimising negative impacts on the local environment.

As well as helping to clean up the city, the Ride to Recycle events provide an opportunity to highlight the amount of plastics which often litter cycleways, tracks and streets and educate people about recycling, Mrs Hiha-Agnew says.

“A discarded plastic bottle or coffee cup can take years to break down but it can be recycled.

“I’m hoping for a good turnout on Tuesday – people are really enjoying taking part in the rides. It’s a good family-friendly community event,” she says.

Ride to Recycle

• Tuesday, 17 February

• 12 noon to 2pm

• Meet outside Burger Fuel, Redwood shopping centre, Cnr Te Ngae and Tarawera roads

• Rubbish/recycling bags and gloves provided

• Check for more information or cancellations on Keep Rotorua Beautiful Facebook page

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