Tauranga residents are being urged to help clean rubbish off the beaches this Sunday.

It is the second time the ‘Bash the Trash' beach cleanup event has been held.

Surf instructor Tully Farrell says more than 70 people participated in the beach cleanup last year.

Local surfer Tully Farrell is organising the event in conjunction with Tauranga City Council and park rangers.

Residents are encouraged to bring along friends and family to Tay Street Beach when the cleanup starts at 1pm.

Last year more than 30 large bags were filled with rubbish.

'We found a lot more rubbish than we thought we would,” says Tully.

'A lot of it was older rubbish trapped in sand dunes and a lot of that ends up in the ocean.”

He decided to start the event last year because as a surf instructor he considers the beach and ocean to be his ‘office'.

'Our city is growing quite rapidly and encroaching on it quite considerably. If we let it go it's going to get worse.”

This year's event is also coinciding with International Surfing Day and other beach cleanups around the world.

Those who attend the event are given a bag to collect any rubbish.

Time given for the cleanup would be appreciated says Tully.

He is urging people not to be late so they can be briefed.
For further information phone Tully 027 632 787.