Image: With over 1.5 million pedestrians congregating to watch fire-works and catch midnight kisses, waste levels were similarly high.
The 2011/12 Sydney New Year’s Eve celebration (NYE) attracted more visitors to the city than any event ever has.
With over 1.5 million pedestrians congregating to watch the fireworks and catch midnight kisses, waste levels were similarly high. In response to this, the City of Sydney council hired over a thousand specialist staff members to help manage the event. Over two hundred of them were assigned to clean up the momentous mess which graced many of our city’s prime tourist destinations.
The NYE clean-up crew is a tactfully organised wave, moving swiftly as soon as pedestrian levels dissipate. They first hit up popular areas of the Sydney Harbour foreshore, and then followed the home-bound crowd towards the CBD. Andre, the manager of Eastbank, a cafe/bar/pizzeria close to both Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House, has worked there for 6 years and says he has seen the full extent of NYE celebration as well as the council’s effort to clean up afterwards. “I have to take my hat off to them”, he said. “The moment everybody leaves, the council is here, and in half an hour they are moving on.”
The manager at Sea Rock Bar, Avi, said: “Around three or four when all of the people had left, there were lots of cleaners here.” Avi saw thousands of people stand outside to watch the intense fire-work display and to hum along to this year’s ‘NYE theme music’. Like Andre from East Bank, he has been impressed by the effort of the cleaning crews over the years, and he said: “By eight’ o’ clock, [the foreshore] was like new – it was clean and fresh.”
In order to keep NYE 2011/12 as ‘green’ as possible, The City of Sydney ensured that stormwater would be used to hose down the ground, and that all suitable waste was recycled. Of the 55.64 tonnes of waste collected by the council at last year’s celebration, 80% was recycled and 20% was sent to land-fill. We eagerly wait to see this year’s waste statistics.
Keeping the city clean (especially after nights of heavy partying) is an integral part of our council’s plan to attract more visitors to the area, improving our local economic figures. However, the council members are not the only ones responsible for maintaining cleanliness –everyone who enjoys this world-class environment can show it some respect by keeping their personal waste to a minimum.
By James Gilronan
