UQ students keep their corner of Australia clean

Hundreds of students played their part in Clean Up Australia Day on the weekend, collecting enough rubbish to fill a construction skip from St Lucia and surrounding Dutton Park.

The group were brought together by the student-run organisation The Bridge, which aims to connect UQ staff and students with local volunteer projects.

"UQ students are proud of their campus, and Clean Up Australia Day was a nice way for us the make a positive contribution," Past President of The Bridge John O'Bryen said.

Mr O'Bryen said the project was made possible by the support from with UQ Office of Sustainability, which provided gloves, trash bags and hats to the volunteers.

"The Bridge does a great job and the Sustainability Office is always happy to help out where we can, particularly when we have a shared goal," sustainability officer Leigh Burgess said.

A large number of residents from Emmanuel and the Women's College got behind the initiative, with the volunteers finding everything from water pistols to a shopping trolley and garden gnomes throughout the day.

"The best part was seeing the coming together of 170 students from different study areas to participate. There was a real atmosphere about the morning," Mr O'Bryen said.

Throughout the year, Bridge volunteers hold fundraisers for various community organisations.

Last year students raised $2000 for The Pyjama Foundation, an organisation dedicated to helping disadvantaged children gain literacy skills.

New Bridge members are always welcome. For more information about how to get involved, visit www.uqbridge.com

Media: John O'Bryen (john.obryen@uqconnect.edu.au) or Allison Rock at UQ Communications (a.rock1@uq.edu.au, or 07 3365 2619)