LOCAL waterways in Ipswich have received a much-needed clean-up, with environmental group Ocean Crusaders removing more than a tonne of waste from Bundamba and Deebing Creeks over the past two weeks.
At Bundamba Creek, the team worked over four days to fill four skip bins with rubbish ranging from tyres and wheelie bins to an entire bath.
Last Wednesday’s effort alone saw 900kg of waste pulled from the waterway.
“Bundamba is only a small creek, but it was hiding a lot of trash,” an Ocean Crusaders spokesperson said.
Last Thursday, attention turned to Deebing Creek, where 330 discarded tree guards were removed. Many had become entangled around plants, causing further damage to the creek. The group urged those installing tree guards to plan for their eventual removal.
“If you budget to put them in, plan to take them out before flood waters do,” the spokesperson said.
“They are incredibly difficult to collect once they’ve been swept downstream.”
The clean-ups were funded by Ipswich City Council, which has backed the group’s mission to restore and protect local waterways.
Last year, Ocean Crusaders removed more than four tonnes of rubbish from the Bremer River, Ipswich’s primary water source. That clean-up uncovered shopping trolleys, flood debris and even a half-buried boat.
Founder Ian Thompson described the river’s condition at the time as “quite horrendous”.
“The Bremer is a major tributary to the Brisbane River and then onto the bay,” he said. “After the 2022 floods, City of Ipswich-labelled bins were found on K’Gari, proving just how far debris can travel.”
Mr Thompson said Ocean Crusaders was now working with Council to develop long-term solutions, including the possibility of installing an Automatic River Cleaner.
