Volunteers took to schools, parks, beaches, bushland and foreshores, covering more than 85 Clean Up Australia Day sites.

Lake Macquarie City Council’s sustainability manager, Alice Howe, said it was encouraging to see so many people support the annual clean-up effort.

“We really appreciate the efforts of volunteers who pitched in at local clean-up sites over the weekend to help keep Lake Macquarie City looking its best,” Dr Howe said.

“This year’s result shows that our residents continue to value the natural environment and are willing to contribute time to keep our city clean.

“Council initiatives such as the Community Recycling Centre, the Eco Angel program, and the Regional Illegal Dumping (RID) Squad have helped to drastically reduce the amount of waste that is illegally dumped across our city.”

Dr Howe said council’s Eco Angel program, which allowed community groups to host clean-up events any time throughout the year, had had a positive impact.

“I would strongly encourage anyone who is interested in doing more to help keep the city clean to consider hosting an Eco Angel clean-up event,” she said.

Clean Up Australia Day was Sunday, March 4.

Business Clean Up Day was Tuesday, February 27.

And Schools Clean Up Day was Friday, March 2.

Across NSW, there were 3,002 registered clean up sites.

An estimated 246,108 volunteers were involved in removing an estimated  6,604.4 tonnes of rubbish from the state’s environment.

More information on council’s Eco Angel program can be found at lakemac.com.au/sustainable-programs/eco-angel-program.