Clean Up Australia Day in Tamworth uncovers trolleys, bike parts ... but fewer containers

Cleaners and "greeners" spread out across the city to pick up rubbish, clean out waterways and even plant trees.

While there was plenty to remove and bag up, one official said there had been a "noticeable decrease" in the bottles and cans littering Tamworth.

The council's waste sustainability officer Angela Dodson said full data would be compiled this week.

But from her observations, the drop in beverage containers was "significant", due to their value in the Return and Earn scheme.

Read also:

"But there is still a lot of, mostly, fast food and takeaway packaging, and light litter such as paper and food packets," Ms Dodson said.

"This litter can be directly, deliberately deposited or there's accidental litter, such as things being blown off vehicles."

At the public clean-up on Jewry Street, volunteers pulled items such as shopping trolleys and bike parts out of the river. They also planted trees, part of ongoing efforts to make the area recreation-friendly.

Ms Dodson said the council took rubbish from the clean-up sites to Tamworth Waste Management Facility for landfill or recycling.

Unfortunately, though, there was "generally not a lot of acceptable recycling".

"A lot of beverage containers have been left in the sun for too long and are not appropriate recycling any more."