Media Release

New Initiative to clean up the countryside for RWC Visitors

24 August 2011

A new initiative to clean up the countryside in preparation for the Rugby World Cup rolled out in Wairarapa and is now going nationwide.

The Cool initiative (Collect our own Litter) asks people to collect rubbish from provincial and state highways around where they live.

The scheme is being backed by PGG Wrightson, and three other rural servicing firms Farmlands, RD1 and CRT.

“We have already put 70 000 litter bags into Wrightson stores in Whangarei, Whakatane, Cambridge, Feilding, Masterton, Blenheim, and Outram, with posters and flyers explaining how the scheme works,” says Tony Didsbury, of the Rotary Club of South Wairarapa, which is organizing the clean up. “These stores have distributed bags to other stores in their regions as well as CRT in the South Island and Farmlands. RD1 have recently got involved too, which is great!”

“There is a problem with litter on rural roads (often not caused by the farming community) and we thought it would be a great idea to motivate people to clean up the countryside for our Rugby World Cup visitors. So we organized the bags through Keep New Zealand Beautiful, and got the rural servicing firms involved as distribution points and now we are telling people all about it.

“The bags are free and we have asked councils all over the country to allow free admission to council rubbish tips on the weekend of 27 and 28 August so that people can deposit the litter they have collected.

“So far we have had a terrific response. Everyone is getting right in behind this.” Mr Didsbury said.

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