Along with the impact on our daily lives, COVID-19 has also affected the litter in our environment.
"There was a lot of takeaway packaging during lockdown last year when cafes and venues were closed," Warners Bay Landcare's Steve Dewar said.
"There were a lot of takeaway coffee cups and later, disposable masks."
Mr Dewar is leading one of more than 100 events organised in the Hunter for Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday.
The former Lake Macquarie Volunteer of the Year participates in Clean Up Australia Day each year and will be joined by volunteers at the corner of Medcalf Street and Macquarie Road, Warners Bay on Sunday.
He said while the litter was now returning to a pre-COVID state, his group will still be targeting fast food rubbish.
Related: Steve's commitment to keep the community clean
Mr Dewar is also working with other volunteers to prevent litter by handing out 1300 reusable coffee cups in the community and running other education initiatives.
"We've been working with the cafes trying our hardest to reduce single use plastic," Mr Dewar said.
"Four states are now banning single use plastics, which helps our argument. But even if the government here doesn't move, the community certainly is."
He said clean up events also encouraged that same community approach.
"A lot of people see volunteers out and it really has an effect," he said.
"It's a community spirit thing. If the area is reasonably clean and you see people giving up their time it acts as a deterrent to litter. If people see 10 packages on the ground, they think who cares, I'll just chuck one extra in. But if the area is clean they're less likely to litter."
More than 70 sites have been registered across Lake Macquarie, making it the biggest Clean Up Australia Day hub in the region.
Lake Macquarie City Council community partnerships manager Andrew Bryant said the clean up message "had never been more important", with the increase in disposable item use.
"We're encouraging people in the community to volunteer a few hours of their time at a Lake Mac site that is special to them," Mr Bryant said.
"The commitment shown by volunteers each year is always impressive and really reflects the pride they have for their local environment."
