Joining the Clean up the World weekend, the Nuku'alofa Hash House Harriers started early last evening at Houmakelikao.

Penny Dutton the Community Development Adviser for the AusAID Solid Waste Management Project said that a group of 26 adults and children in the Hash for Trash collection cleared an incredible 3 cubic metres of rubbish from only 700 metres of road. "A large part of the rubbish was disposable nappies which had been dumped at the roadside. Other more unusual items included thongs, old clothes, an umbrella handle, a bicycle seat, copper wire, sheet music, and video tape. A quantity of aluminium cans was also collected and these were separated, ready to be sent to one of the recycling companies in Tonga," she said.

"Several Tongans driving past said 'Malo' to the rubbish collectors, but interestingly, no one stopped to help! The real concern is if this organised clean up found so much rubbish in one small area, how much more rubbish there must be in the environment, in other streets. The Hash for Trash has only made a small dent in a big problem."

Clean Up the World involves more than 100 million participants from 40 countries in cleaning up and protecting beaches and the environment.