[9] Then followed the local "Clean Up Sydney Harbour"[10] event in 1989, organised by Ian Kiernan[11] and Kim McKay, with more than 40,000 volunteers who collected approximately 5,000 tonnes of rubbish.

The 1990 Clean Up Australia Day event was launched by the then prime minister, Bob Hawke, over the initial opposition of the then state premier, Nick Greiner.

[17] In 2008, Kiernan put a focus on bottled water, advocating for the expansion of container deposit refunds in Australia.

Businesses register their commitment to implement at least one environment-friendly initiative in their workplace, giving them an opportunity to work as a team and make a difference to their local environment.

It is run in conjunction with Parks Victoria, Conservation Volunteers Australia, and local communities as part of the Victorian Government's 'The Alps: A fresh start – a healthy future' program.