Hello Jim

The pickup stick on the right is a brother to one I purchased in Stanthorpe QLD in March 2014
I used the original pickup stick, until I tried to toss a half inner tube (full of dirt) into a bin, near Carnarvon WA in June 2016, so the original had picked up a bit of rubbish
I could not buy another in Carnarvon, for love or money

I purchased the one on the right, in the picture, in Geraldton (Red Dot or similar type store) for $5

The one on the left I received as a gift from a friend, who heard me (jokingly) complain that the Quality Assurance men in Stanthorpe in 2014, must have been sleeping on the job, after I had broken the original $4 pickup stick

The pickup stick on the left was recently on sale for about $11 in Kmart Bunbury WA
In my opinion the Kmart one (left of the picture, with a proper handle), is superior to the Red Dot one.

But the Red Dot one lasted until someone, (whose name I shall not mention, on the grounds that I would be silly to dob myself in, a second time), broke it using brute force and determination

I carry both of them with me, and if I find someone who really, really, needs one. I shall give them the el-cheapo Red Dot one

My theory is that when people see me picking up rubbish, it may jot their memory on how to do it

I have only ever had a few smarties, ask me why I pick up someone else rubbish. My stock answer is that I only look like a pig, which does not mean that I have to live like one

In all honesty, I pick up the rubbish for exercise, rather than walk around the camp aimlessly, just as I use the keyboard as exercise for my fingers

 

We use old BBQ tongs - steel ones about 18 inches long - always on drawbar - can also use them for adjusting coals in fires.

We got a set of folding ones from Ebay, not the best, next set we got from Kmart and they where good until I ran over them. Got a Aldi set a couple months ago, boss likes them, can pick up biro tops from the carpet. We also travel with a few old Chaff bags which we use to cleanup around campsites, take to tip or local Information Centre and empty them. I usually ask the people in the Info centre where I can empty this rubbish, some have told me to go around the back and there is a dumpster there to use. Others have said just use the bins out the front.

Phil C wrote:

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Well done folks.

You know if more people got onto doing a 10 minute clean up at camps we would be looking good.

On our last Perth trip we over nighted at a free camp call Baxter (near Fraser Range). It was filthy when we arrived, I had to empty the loo in the dump point and it was also filthy, how can a normal person miss a 300mm hole?? looked like someone had dropped the tweeds and placed a fresh one at the side, mind you the toilets were within 20 paces.

It was there I decided to start a clean up. I went to the other caravans (about 10) and asked them to spend 10 mins with me to do a clean up, well the response was not what I expected from nomads. I was impolitely told where to go and what to do when I arrived. Used grey water to clean the dump point, and picked up papers etc around MY caravan and toward the front of the camp.

I used the pickup bizzo similar to Tony Bev idea. Im not saying this to be a hero, BUT if we all took some care of our free camps councils would not close them down. Rant over

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When I know (from the camp books), that the next dump point I am going to use has no water available, I keep about a bucketful of water, in the grey water tank, for cleaning the dump point after I use it.

I have only been travelling on and off for a few years, so I am not a seasoned traveller

But...

I am not sure if it is wishful thinking on my part, or if the message is getting through.

Here is my report of about the last three months

Bodallin Pioneers Park #232 WA in Camp 8 book - small amount of rubbish, not worth writing home about

Mambung Station Stay and B&B #306 WA in Camp 8 book - 500 people at music festival, with about 85/90% of grey nomad age - no rubbish

Greenbushes Rest Area #100 WA in Camp 8 book - no rubbish

Bridgetown blues music festival - people wearing event organisers T shirts, picking up the very small amount of rubbish in the gutter of the road

Nannup WA new dump point and public toilet area - no rubbish

Warner Glen (Chapman Pool) #205 WA in Camp 8 book - no rubbish

I have been told, second hand so it is not confirmed, that the Nannup shire have stopped putting rubbish bins out on the highway parking bays, because too much town rubbish was being dumped
I can only confirm that there are plenty of rubbish bins in the town itself, as my fish and chips box easily found a rubbish bin

As a side note I can recommend the fish from the local Nannup fish and chip shop, the chips were only so so

We have also used Baxter on our past 2 trips across the Nullarbor.

Kathy tried a clean up on this last trip in September, and became most disheartened, as the area was covered in the tissue streamers and general waste. After 15 minutes and making a big effort, she gave up, but the area near our caravan looked a lot better.

That said Phil, I feel your pain re the dump point. Last year the toilet was full to the brim, and this year, the dump point had been used and left a real mess. It wasn't the first one on the trip to look like it either. I get sick of cleaning up others dinners from the day before, but am now starting to expect it.

The response you got Phil doesn't surprise me. So many are of the opinion that they have no need to help. I walk each morning for 20 to 25 minutes, and while I was walking up and down the Baxter Rest Area, I watched an older camper, with a nice van and vehicle, empty his cassette on the ground behind his van. He didn't see me until he had the lid off and the cassette raised, and I just shook my head when he did look. Rather than confront him at the time, I passed his registration details on to the Main Road and Council, and they were following it up. I don't know if they were able to get him, but I do hope they tracked him down and at least sent him a nasty letter, to know that his "work" was seen and not appreciated.

It was more disappointing to me as he was also from SA.

Anyway, we can but do our bit, and hope it catches on.

Pity his cars window was up.  folks like this need to be educated.