Keep New Zealand Beautiful is once again asking Kiwis to ‘Do The Right Thing’ and come together to make a collective difference by registering for this year’s G.J. Gardner Homes Clean Up Week on September 7-13.

G.J. Gardner Homes Clean Up Week is a community pride initiative run annually by Keep New Zealand Beautiful which inspires New Zealanders to actively participate in cleaning up their little part of Aotearoa.

Last year over 52,000 volunteers collaboratively collected over 507,400 kg of rubbish during the weeklong event.

The importance of G.J. Garner Homes Clean Up Week was highlighted by the results of Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s National Litter Audit 2019 which was developed in association with Statistics New Zealand and the Ministry for the Environment. This Tier 1 Survey was the most comprehensive litter audit of its kind ever carried out in New Zealand and compiled data through the physical inspection and visual counting of litter in a number of specific, fixed sites. The data collected on the quantities, types, locations, and brands of litter deposited across the country show that New Zealand has a very real litter problem, with cigarette butts being identified as the most frequently littered item nationally (39 butts recorded per 1,000m²) and disposable nappies representing the largest contribution to the estimated national litter volumes (1.50 ltr of volume per 1,000 m²).

Keep New Zealand Beautiful CEO Heather Saunderson says, “As one of the biggest events in our calendar each year, G.J. Gardner Homes Clean Up Week is an initiative that presents a great opportunity for education and litter awareness to reach every corner of New Zealand. Our recent behaviour change campaign ‘Every litter bit counts’ embodies the spirit of this important community event, by reinforcing the message that collectively as a nation when we work together, we can make a huge difference. G.J. Gardner Homes Clean Up Week is an opportunity for businesses, schools, community groups and individuals to take charge and organise clean up events that will not only address the litter issue in their local community, but will also help collaboratively to keep New Zealand as a whole clean, safe and beautiful”.

This is the third year G.J. Gardner Homes has partnered with Keep New Zealand Beautiful on the national initiative, with both organisations committed to running sustainable clean up events, generating as little waste as possible, all whilst keeping volunteers healthy and safe. Participants are encouraged to create their own reusable and sustainable clean up kits using buckets, gardening gloves, or reusable bags. However, clean up kits will still be available on request for those who don’t have access to their own clean up materials.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful also has a partnership with Waste Management and EnviroWaste which allows volunteers to dispose of the rubbish they collect for free at selected transfer stations around the country.

G.J. Gardner Homes are excited to be partnering with Keep New Zealand Beautiful for another year. Grant Porteous, Managing Director of G.J. Gardner Homes, says “We are a proud Kiwi owned and operated business with offices across the country, and we care deeply about this beautiful country we call home. We are committed to giving back to our communities and every year we are blown away by the number of volunteers who take part in G.J. Gardner Homes Clean Up Week and the amount of litter that is collected. It feels like together we can really make a difference and we fully support the work Keep New Zealand Beautiful do in this space. Our ongoing partnership is a result of our joint dedication to making New Zealand litter-free.”

The weeklong event will be held from 7 to 13 September 2020. To register a clean up event for your local area or to join in a public event visit www.knzb.org.nz.

G.J. Gardner Homes Clean Up Week - 7-13 September 2019

• Register online until 13 September 2020 at www.knzb.org.nz
• Register before 28 August 2020 to receive a clean up kit
• The National Litter Audit 2019 report is available to download at www.knzb.org.nz

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