Wangaratta Landcare and Sustainability's Clean Up Wangaratta group and North Wangaratta Community Group were two of many teams tackling the trash for Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday, 1 March.

After two hours of work kicking off at 9am, three Clean Up Wangaratta members joined North Wangaratta Community Group and together removed 10 big bags of litter and some larger items from their adopted section of the Old Hume Highway and the first section of the Eldorado-Wangaratta Rd.

Andy Kimber, a member of the Clean Up Wangaratta group, said it was a successful day overall, but more hands are needed to get involved.

“Our network of cleaner uppers would have been out there working mainly by themselves, so our aim is to get more locals to clean up all throughout the year rather on just one day of the year," he said.

The Clean Up Wangaratta team recovered about 39kg of litter from about a kilometre distance of their adopted section of the Glenrowan Road/Old Hume Highway south of the city.

The haul comprised of four big bags of stuff plus larger disposed of items.

Andy said the most common litter types were small bits of tyres and plastic pieces from cars; takeaway packaging and small plastic bags; bits of clothing/textiles; and cardboard.

The team also collected 55 recyclable cans and bottles, only 26 of which could be taken to the container deposit centre.

The Clean Up Wangaratta team urged drivers and passengers to please avoid throwing rubbish to the side of the road.

It’s a criminal offence to dispose of rubbish from a vehicle in all states and territories in Australia, carrying fines of up to $814 in Victoria.

“Obviously the amount of litter [thrown from cars] is disgusting, but most of it ends up in our special Ovens River via small creeks and drains after high rainfall,” Mr Kimber said.

“Much of the plastic litter will end up as microplastics which of course gets into our water supply and into the digestive systems of fish, platypus, turtles, etc.”