Volunteers will pull on the gloves to help dispose of tonnes of rubbish in the Broken Bago and Burrawan State forests, south of Port Macquarie, this weekend.

Forestry Corporation is staging a Clean Up Australia Day event on Sunday, March 1, with a briefing to be held for volunteers at the Wauchope forestry depot in Cameron St at 9am.

Forestry Corporation Lead Fire and Operations Officer Shane Dickinson:

“Forestry staff have been supported by the Mid North Coast community, including 4WD and mountain bike club members, cleaning up our local state forests for many years,” Mr Dickinson said.

“We appreciate the community support, which makes a real difference and shows how much people value these forests as places to enjoy nature and the outdoors.

“While most visitors do the right thing, illegal dumping remains an ongoing issue in state forests, particularly those close to towns and cities.

“Across NSW hundreds of tonnes of household and construction waste, scrap metal and abandoned vehicles are removed from state forests each year at a significant cost to the community.

“We know forests with strong community involvement tend to experience less dumping, and we’re grateful to regular forest users – bushwalkers, mountain bike clubs, horse riders, dog walkers and adjoining property owners – who help look after these areas.”

When: Sunday, March 1 from 9am to 4pm.

Where: Meet at the Forestry Corporation Depot at Wauchope, 110 Cameron St.

A briefing will be held and equipment distributed for the day.

A free barbecue lunch will be provided for all volunteers.

Bring: Hat, sunscreen and lace-up boots. All other equipment will be provided on the day.

More information: Register online www.cleanup.org.au/cleanupaustraliaday

To find out more about Forestry Corporation go to www.forestrycorporation.com.au