Family group Just Bin It helping keep Albany clean with weekly clean-ups making a strong impact in the region

A simple family habit has turned into a weekly mission that is quietly making a visible difference across Albany and it started with a walk, a bag and a decision to pick up what others leave behind.

Len Wignall, Jennifer Wignall, Rhonda Western and Debra Docking work under the name Just Bin It to keep Albany and surrounding areas clean via regular weekly rubbish clean-ups, stretching their efforts as far as Mt Barker.

The group is made up of three sisters and a brother-in-law who head out together at least once a week to tackle litter in different local spots.

They are members of Keep Australia Beautiful and have created a Facebook page under Just Bin It to raise awareness and encourage better habits in the community.

Group member Debra Docking said the drive to help the environment came from their mother.

“Our mum, whenever she walked she always carried a bag and picked up rubbish,” she said.

“She used to walk to work and she always used to pick up rubbish when were were young kids.

“I think we grew up learning to look after the environment and as we got older we had more time on our hands and decided to get together at least one morning a week and go out and pick a place and clean it up.”

Since June last year, the team set aside three hours every Friday at a particular spot to clean up rubbish, usually filling up about 20 big orange Keep Australia Beautiful bags on average.

Ms Docking said they picked up all sorts of rubbish but the most concerning were the cans and bottles that they find on the side of the road.

“We see lots of takeaway food containers, lots of alcohol cans and bottles which is a bit of a worry especially if its a driver throwing them out,” she said.

“We see rubbish from uncovered utes or trailers, like tradies’ packaging, gloves, rags, tools, pieces broken off of cars, tools and food packaging,” she said.

Ms Docking said one of their biggest projects was doing a clean-up from Federal Street in McKail to Mt Barker.

“We did that every Friday which took us 10 months and we collected about 820 bags full of rubbish,” she said.

Given that an average bag is about 6kg, by end of the journey the group had collected mre than 5000kg of rubbish and over 2000 cans and bottles that were donated to Containers for Change.

Even on holidays the clean-up continues.

“My sisters and brother-in-law are all in Broome so they picked up rubbish there — it doesn’t stop,” Ms Docking said.

“Where ever you go no matter if your on holiday, you spend the (Friday) morning trying to do something.”

Ms Docking recommends people to sign up with Keep Australia Beautiful and make a difference to the environment.

“Go to the Keep Australia Beautiful and join Adopt a Spot . . then you can adopt a street, adopt a park,” she said.

“The more people out there, the more area we cover, the less rubbish there’ll be.”