Keep Kawerau Beautiful is joining the masses of volunteers throughout New Zealand who will pick-up other people’s litter during Clean-Up Week.

Hosted by Keep New Zealand Beautiful, the big Clean-Up week runs from September 19 to 25 when communities right across NZ will focus on rubbish removal and recycling.

Keep Kawerau Beautiful has scheduled its own big clean-up for Sunday, September 21 from 1pm to 4pm, and is being organised by Essity.

“It’s good to support cleaning up Kawerau with the local community,” Essity’s Manufacturing Strategy Manager David Milne said. “It demonstrates great values and responsibility for our tamariki and rangatahi.

“Research shows that over half of the litter in New Zealand is dropped within 5 metres of a rubbish bin. Clean-up week shows people that we can do so much better.”

Essity provides hygiene and health products to improve people’s well-being, with the goal of enabling a healthier and more sustainable society. The Kawerau manufacturing plant has been a part of the community for 70 years, producing popular hygiene products used every day by Kiwis including Sorbent and Purex toilet tissue and Handee paper towels.

“The team at Essity are proud to be sustainable tissue manufacturers in New Zealand and are equally proud to be sponsor of the KEEP KAWERAU BEAUTIFUL NATIONAL CLEAN-UP DAY event in 2025,” Milne said.

Keep Kawerau Beautiful has scheduled its own big clean-up for Sunday, September 21 from 1pm to 4pm. Photo / Supplied.

“Our clean-up day volunteers should register at the Kawerau Pools car park with the KKB Team prior to heading out to allocated areas,” KKB chair and KDC councillor Berice Julian said.

“There will be a Health and Safety brief for the volunteers that will also be posted on the Keep Kawerau Beautiful FB page.

“Volunteers are encouraged to bring their bags of rubbish back to the registration area so that photos can be taken to help add up how many kilograms of rubbish have been collected and to also be eligible for spot prizes.”

Julian said the weight-data then goes to Keep NZ Beautiful to compare this year’s haul to last year’s.

Registration for the event is at 1pm, Sunday 21 September at the Maurie Kjar Aquatic Centre. Volunteers will then go out to collect litter from surrounding reserves and streets and should be back at the Pools from 2.30pm to 3.30pm with their bags of rubbish, wash up and then enjoy some Essity hospitality in the form of a big sausage sizzle.