Keep NZ Beautiful Week 2014 officially the biggest ever

You're beautiful New Zealand!

Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week 2014 officially the biggest ever.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful want to congratulate all the volunteers, many of whom who braved wild weather last week to clean up their patch. The annual Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week concluded on Saturday 20th September and saw the biggest number of clean-up events registered since the campaign began in 2010 and a 54% increase on the 2013 results!

“We are thrilled to see so many New Zealander’s organizing events in their community” says KNZB General Manager Heather Saunderson, “the week has been a record-breaker for us and everyone who participated should be incredibly proud of what has been achieved.”

Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week is not just about the clean-ups. These events build and strengthen community spirit and allow people to demonstrate their pride in where they live. Many groups took the opportunity to plant fruit trails or native trees.

“It would be great to reach a point where litter is no longer the issue and communities can focus their energy on enhancing our environment” added Heather Saunderson.

The organization has a network of 33 volunteer run or council supported branches around the country and the aim is to have representation in every town and city. Heather Saunderson explains, “We can provide the tools and resources to get the job done, but it is the people on the ground that make things happen at a local level.”

Keep New Zealand Beautiful would also like to acknowledge the partners in the campaign; Broderick Print, New Zealand Couriers, McDonalds, Waste Management, Johnson Controls and Envirowaste, as well as the many businesses that encouraged their staff nationwide to participate this year.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week Facts and Figures

• 562 clean-up events nationwide (up 54% from 365 clean-ups in 2013. The previous highest number recorded was 403 clean-ups in 2010, the first year of the event)
• 15,312 rubbish bags
• 8,850 recycling bags
• 228 Schools (up from 124 in 2013)
• 246 Groups (up from 199 in 2013)
• 88 Businesses (up from 42 in 2013)
• 35,896 volunteers participated nationwide
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Most interesting find:
• A lawnmower (Hornby Primary School, Christchurch)
• $5 (Wilton, Wellington)
• A kitchen sink! (Whangarei)

Most registered clean-up events:
• New Plymouth - 69 events
• Dunedin – 50 events
• Hutt City – 23 events
• The New Zealand Motor Caravan Association – 21 events

Most remote clean-ups:
• Aoraki Mt Cook, Alpine Trekking Guides
• Chatham Island

The ideal way to contribute to Keeping New Zealand Beautiful is to become a member. Annual membership is $40 and this enables KNZB to provide the resources free-of-charge to schools and groups around the country for campaigns such as Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week, Graffiti Free Week and Paint New Zealand Beautiful. If you are interested in becoming a member or getting involved with your local branch you can email us at info@knzb.org.nz

Great work Aotearoa. You are truly beautiful!

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