TIDY Up Townsville can’t unsee it
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
For many people, illegal dumping is something they notice in passing. For Townsville local Dave Dudley, it became impossible to ignore.
Maybe you’ve noticed a pile of rubbish on a roadside. Debris washed into a creek. A mattress abandoned in bushland. It's frustrating, but easy to assume it's someone else's responsibility.
Driven by a belief that litter and illegal dumping are everyone's problem, not just Council's, Dave Dudley launched the TIDY Up Townsville Facebook Group in December 2019. What began as a simple call to action has since grown into a community of more than 6,000 members united by a shared cause.
"I had no idea how this group would go, but it's resonated and grown,” Dave says. “It's provided a portal for like-minded people, and certainly raised awareness to illegal dumping and increased action at a grassroots level."
What makes Dave proudest though, isn’t the number of bags filled or clean-up events held, it’s the people who have rallied behind the cause.
"They're just all good eggs... well, most," he laughs.
A simple mantra that has guided his unpaid efforts for years has clearly struck a chord: once you see it, you can't unsee it.
Across Townsville, group members are getting out on foot, by bike, and in their own neighbourhoods, taking action because they can't unsee it either.
And while the Facebook page may have started the conversation, it's the stories of the members themselves that reveal the true impact of TIDY Up Townsville.
Doing it with others or on his own
Whether he's joining a clean-up event or heading out on his own, Jason is driven by the same motivation as Dave: making a tangible difference. For the past five years, he's been part of the TIDY Up Townsville community, contributing wherever and whenever he can.
"When I first came across the TIDY Up Townsville Facebook page, I thought, 'What an awesome initiative.' Seeing the amount of work Dave was putting into clean-ups made me want to get involved and support that effort. I join TIDY events when I can, but if I can't make it, I'll head out and do my own clean-up. The best part is seeing the outcome and knowing you've made a hands-on difference to keeping Townsville tidy." – Jason
Cleaning up their corner in Townsville
Inspired by the momentum of TIDY Up Townsville, local residents have created neighbourhood-based clean-up groups to care for their own patch. One of the most active is the North Ward group, whose steady efforts have inspired similar initiatives across the city and continue to make a visible difference in one of Townsville's most visited areas.
"When I first moved to Townsville, I saw a TIDY Up sign beside the highway and decided to join the group. I'd been involved in similar clean-up efforts before and it seemed like a good way to meet people and get involved in the community. What surprises me is that some areas don't look too bad at first glance, but once you start delving into the pockets around a place, you realise just how much rubbish is there." – Michael
"A lot of visitors travelling between The Strand and Magnetic Island pass through North Ward. We want it to look its best for tourists and locals alike. It only takes an hour after work, so it's something that fits easily into my routine. But I always struggle to understand why people litter in the first place. There are bins everywhere. If you brought it with you, why can't you take it out too?” – Susan
"I got involved after seeing a post from the North Ward clean-up group and thought, 'I can do that.' I live here. It’s somewhere I can walk to that needs cleaning up, and where I can set an example. One of the most rewarding parts is when tourists stop to thank us for what we're doing. I always tell them the same thing, 'Come join us next time.'" – Cathy
One “rock” at a time
If you've travelled through Rasmussen, Kelso, Willows or Ross River Dam, you may have spotted an unusual sight: a cyclist towing a trolley with a customised setup of buckets. That's Far Path, collecting litter one bucket at a time as he racks up kilometres riding through the suburbs he cares about.
"A friend once asked me how I would move a mountain, and my answer was simple: one rock at a time. That's how I see cleaning up litter. You pick up one piece, then another, and eventually you've made a difference. Dave's work ethic and personal dedication towards a common goal of a tidier Townsville inspired me, because action speaks its own language." – Far Path
Bag a bag, make a difference
Not everyone can make it to an organised clean-up, so TIDY Up Townsville created a simple way for anyone to get involved. Each month, residents are encouraged to "Bag a Bag" of litter, share their efforts on the group's Facebook page, and go into the draw for a $100 voucher donated by a local business. It's a small action that adds up to a cleaner city and gives people a practical way to contribute on their own terms.
“The TIDY Up Townsville group is important to me because it encourages action and constructive engagement. This is a reason I regularly share my activities there and support the group. I care about the environment because I love my country and its natural beauty. I often think about those who fought and died for Australia, so I do my best to honour them by protecting what they fought for.” - Oliver
More Than a Facebook Group
What started as one person's determination to tackle illegal dumping has become a network of people taking action in their own way.
Executive Officer for the Healthy Waters Partnership Kara-Mae Coulter-Atkins said Dave has created something far beyond a Facebook group.
“He’s helped build a community of people who care about their local environment and support each other to take action. That’s stewardship in its simplest form: people seeing the problem, feeling empowered to do something about it, and encouraging others to do the same.”
From organised clean-ups and neighbourhood groups to bike rides and Bag a Bag challenges, TIDY Up Townsville has shown that there is no single path to stewardship, but we can all show up and make a difference.
Get involved
For those inspired by Dave, Jason, Michael, Susan, Cathy, Far Path and Oliver, there are countless ways to get involved.
Join the TIDY Up Townsville Facebook Group and start sharing your “bag a bag” of litter.
Submit your illegal dumping finds to Snap, Send, Solve and don’t forget to use the TIDY Up squad code: G6NP1.
Across the Healthy Waters Partnership, many Partners host clean-up events. Join the Townsville Environment and Volunteering Hub to stay up to date or check out our volunteer opportunities page.
Beyond going to the tip or a suitable recycling station, rubbish collected by volunteers and Partners is counted and added to Tangaroa Blue Foundation’s Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database. The data is used to inform litter pressure in the Townsville Dry Tropics Waterways Report Card. Find out which hotspots could use your help in the latest Report Card results.
