Boe Langford broke his back five years ago when he was 20 years old.
Important points:
- Outback Cleanups Australia was founded by Boe Langford (25)
- He says he and his partner collected nearly 60,000 kg of trash from remote bush and beach areas across the country.
- You have visited Alice Springs and are now on your way to the Kimberley.
His dream of traveling the interior in his troop transport with a motorcycle in tow was at stake.
But after months of rehab, he hit the road and quickly swapped his bike for trash cans to clean up the country.
"The junk there was pretty enlightening," he said.
"In the place [on the trailer] where the bike would go, you could put four containers with wheels. So I thought, 'Go ahead.'
Today, Langford and his partner Kimberley Baraiolo roam Australia and collect rubbish in all states and territories except Tasmania, so far as part of the Outback Cleanup Australia (OCA).
Instagram: Cleansing the Australian Outback
)The 25-year-old, who grew up in the remote opal town of Mintabie, South Australia, founded OCA in 2019 and is in the process of registering it as a charity.
"As far as we know, there was no non-profit organization dedicated to disposing of waste from far-off Australia," he said.
"So we thought about closing this gap because it is necessary."
Bush around Alice Springs "plundered"
So far, they have removed almost 60,000 kilograms of rubbish, which they pack in sacks made from recycled candle scraps, put on their trailers and hand them in to local landfills.
Their finds range from weird and wonderful to eerie, from sex toys ("lots of them") to a "scratch-free" baby dolphin that was drifting in plastic bags off the coast of Port Lincoln.
This week they walked the hilly gravel road from the remote community of Apatula to Alice Springs, collecting debris left by campers and spectators after last month's Finke Desert Race.
"Ninety-five percent of the people did the right thing," Langford said.
"But we've probably found more than 100 campsites full of rubbish.
"Between Mount Dare and Alice Springs we have almost 800 kilos, including the silencer."
Provided: Outback Cleanups Australia / Instagram
)They have also amassed discarded tires that they can hopefully recall at a later date "when we come back with more money and more equipment".
"But all the packets of chips, the Coke cans, the burnt plastic plates came out of there," said Langford.
"Our goal is to start next year with two or three vehicles, not just one, and get bigger sponsors on board to sponsor the Finke race.
"If you want to sponsor the runners, you should support the cleanup," he said.
While waiting in Alice Springs for a new trailer, Boe Langford and Kim Baraiolo went to work cleaning up the areas near the city that were frequented by free campers and dumpers.
ABC Alice Springs: Eliza Goetze
)He believes community action would help solve the ruthless garbage disposal problem and hopes to create an "ecotourism conservation" operation.
"We would like to have five full-time employees or volunteers, and then we would like to bring a group of 10 volunteers with us for 10 days and clean the bush for three hours a day.
"You could come back with a good feeling and take great photos. We would be hospitality," said Langford.
This weekend the couple will drive northwest from Alice Springs through the Tanami Desert to Kimberley, "from Halls Creek to Kununurra, and take the Gibb River Road and clean up as much as possible from the wet".
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