Currawarna Reserve: Residents step in as litter clogs Murrumbidgee River destination

Residents had to step in and clean the reserve late last month after Anzac Day and Easter visitors left behind large amounts of rubbish including nappies, toilet paper and broken glass.

Currawarna resident Denise Crew told The Daily Advertiser that the state of the reserve after the holidays was dangerous as well as unsightly.

"I go down at least three times a week walking my dog and it's always constantly a mess, but it was particularly bad after the public holiday long weekend," she said.

"I was talking to another friend of mine in Currawarna and she said 'why don't we do a bit of a litter clean up'?

Ms Crew said it looked like campers had been responsible for a lot of the rubbish left behind.

"There were more people out there than usual and then a few days later the reserve was in a terrible state," she said.

"It was just gross. There are no bins or anything there and it starts to accumulate there.

"There was loads of broken glass and cans, fishing hooks left on the beach where kids play. There were six nappies left in a dead tree trunk."

Both Wagga City Council and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service said the Currawarna Reserve areas where litter was found was part of land managed by the Forestry Corporation of NSW.

A Forestry Corporation spokesperson said camping was permitted in the Currawarna State Forest area free of charge and "visitors are expected to respect this privilege and leave the site clean and tidy".

"Our state forests are fantastic assets for the region and should be places the whole community is able to take pride in and enjoy, so it is disappointing to see examples like this," the spokesperson said.

"While we understand it is frustrating for the community to see rubbish dumped, Forestry Corporation needs to carefully invest our limited resources across the two million hectares of NSW state forests we protect. Our staff will clean up the site when in the area next.

"In this instance, bins would not be feasible.

"The community can assist by taking as much detail as they can and reporting anything suspicious. Illegally dumped materials can be reported to the Environment Line on 131 555 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000."