Te Puke Spring Clean expands to week-long initiative

The annual Te Puke Spring Clean is expanding in both length and coverage this year. Previously a quick couple-hour event ending with free pizza, the cleanup will now run for a full week from September 15-19, coinciding with Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week. Now renamed the Great Te Puke Tidy Up, the expansion aims to make the event more inclusive and interesting.

EPIC Te Puke's Sally Benning said the hope is that schools, community groups, and businesses will all become involved in collecting rubbish throughout the week. Schools will be able to conduct audits of litter collected around their grounds, expanding the cleanup coverage area, with collected rubbish brought to The Daily café on September 19. Te Puke Scouts and Poutiri Trust have already expressed interest in participating. Benning noted this gives students opportunities to show leadership or accumulate community work hours.

Originally published in Te Puke News by Sun Media.