This group of dedicated community members is volunteering an hour of their time from 7am every Sunday to clean up Ballarat.
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The Sunday Sweep movement has grown in size since it launched six months ago with founders Zac Budge and Matt Birch who were driven to take action by feelings of frustration at seeing their city treated as a dumping ground.
We are more aware, we know there is an issue that can't just be swept under the rug and more and more people are doing something about it.
- Zac Budge, Sunday Sweep founder
Now up to 30 people join the pair each week to clean up specific areas around Ballarat. Together they have collected more than 1143 bags of rubbish, created awareness of the negative impacts of littering and established a sense of community.
Mr Budge said the group showed if you want something to change, you can be the one to change it by taking individual action.
"I think young people are more aware of what is going on especially with technology and social media," he said.
"We are more aware, we know there is an issue that can't just be swept under the rug and more and more people are doing something about it."
On Sunday the group collected litter on Ballarat-Carngham Road past Dyson Drive near the new Lucas estate.
Mr Budge said volunteers had noticed new and upcoming housing areas and industrial areas were hot spots for rubbish. Other clean up locations have included Brown Hill, Wiltshire Lane in Delacombe, Mount Clear, Mount Helen, Sebastopol and Ballarat North.
Mr Budge said he was thankful to the people who continued to volunteer their time to clean up during Sunday Sweep, but he hoped there would be a reduction in litter around Ballarat in the future.
"Prevention is better than the cure. One of the goals of the sweep is to clean up rubbish but also create awareness so people think twice before they throw rubbish out the window," he said.
In the meantime, the group plans to continue the weekly Sunday morning clean ups and invites more people to get involved.
Some people have created their own pop-up groups to collect rubbish at other times during the week, including local families and school groups.
More information is available on the Sunday Sweep Facebook and Instagram page. Details of the next clean up are location are usually posted on Tuesdays.
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