MCMC supports the community to conduct litter pick ups along the Merri Creek and surrounding waterways as long as safety methods are followed and a site safe for community members is chosen. MCMC staff have already assessed a number of sites on Merri Creek that are deemed safe for a group of people to collect litter at, as long as the risks are mitigated by the advice given. Please click on the Site Safety Assessment to download for your preferred site.

Please note: Sites marked with an orange pin are not suitable for large group clean ups. Caution must be used if cleaning up at these sites.

If you would like to organise your own community clean up event, there are just a few things we’d ask you to do: 

  • Contact our Rapid Response to litter project coordinator Julia Cirillo, if you’d like to borrow a litter clean up kit, advice on litter disposal, and safety information. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; 9380 8199.
  • Call and organise with your local Council to arrange pick up of your collected litter. Refer to table 1 for details.

The day before the event:

  • Check weather conditions. If there has been a major rain event, water can still rise a few days afterwards.  
  • Conduct a site safety assessment of the site you have chosen (or download one from the map above). After heavy rain, large deposits of mud, puddles and slippery surfaces are left behind. You need to be aware of these hazards to inform your participants on the day. Clean Up Australia Day  has a great safety check list and fact sheet to help you with setting up a clean up event that covers all safety considerations. The Victorian Litter Action Alliance (VLAA) also has a great Fact Sheet on Safety tips for litter surveys and litter clean ups.
  • Remind and encourage participants to bring gloves, wear sunscreen, sensible clothes  (hat, trousers, long sleeves, waterproof ) and sturdy, covered footwear. Wear a hat and sunscreen on hot, sunny days and bring water. 

On the Day:

  • Give all participants a safety induction using these documents. 
  • Use the Litter Clean Up registration/sign in sheet to record your participants (this is to ensure you are covered under our insurance for volunteers. 
  • Nominate a participant to record what litter you have collected. As part of our citizen science responsibilities, and to determine the main sources of litter, MCMC are contributing to the Victoria wide database, LitterWatch Victoria.  This database stores information on litter removed from waterways and coastal areas. Click here for a copy of the MCMC litter data form.
  • Never collect litter in the creek itself - stick to the banks and warn participants that the banks get slippery after rain. Make sure you warn participants of any safety issues you found when completing your site assessment. 
  • Be safe!! Vegetation along creek banks can’t always be walked through - look for hazards such as covered holes, fallen dead trees, slippery rocks, steep banks, blackberry patches, and snakes.  
  • MCMC encourage recycling of any uncontaminated litter especially clean plastic bottles. To recycle, you need to separate the recyclables from the other litter and organise members of your clean up crew to take them home to their own bins to recycle. Check table 1 below to see if your Council will separate and pick up recyclables.
  • Bring along plastic or reusable clean up bags - to sort your collection into and keep separate bags for recycling and waste, or get some bags from Julia. To learn what can and can’t be recycled visit your local council’s recycling page.
  • When cleaning up along creek banks, natural items such as logs and dead trees should remain. These are not litter and provide valuable habitat for birds, reptiles, invertebrates and small mammals.

After your litter event:

  • Email your council contact with specific details and a photo of where to pick up litter. Make sure you leave litter near a road that a truck could access and can be clearly seen to make pick up easier. Here is an example email: “Dear ____,  please find attached a photo of the litter we have collected from our clean up event today. We have ___ bags of rubbish and ___ of recycles (if relevant) to be picked up at eg 2 Lee Street, Brunswick West”.  Refer to table 1.
  • Return any equipment, filled out registration form, MCMC Litter Collection data sheet and report any safety concerns to Julia Cirillo at MCMC. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; 9380 8199.