People are being urged to take part in one of the "easiest and instantly rewarding" ways to care for the environment this weekend.
The Great Dunedin Coastal Cleanup will be held on Sunday as part of Seaweek.
The Department of Conservation's coastal cleanup organiser, Liz Sherwood, said many groups, including Scouts, pupils from Otago Girls High School and Aramoana Conservation Group, were getting together to clean up their local area.
"It is probably one of the easiest and instantly rewarding ways to care for the environment."
Every year, birds, fish and marine mammals were maimed or killed by rubbish in coastal waters.
Last year, 1800kg of rubbish was collected between Waikouaiti and Taieri Mouth during the cleanup weekend, she said.
More than 300 people collected rubbish and 30% was recycled, the bulk of which was plastic bags, and plastic and glass bottles.
This year, about 100 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints community outreach programme, Helping Hands, would be picking up rubbish along Portsmouth Dr to St Leonards on Saturday morning.
The group collected about 100 sacks of rubbish from the same area last year.
Nic Reeves, a Waldronville resident and surfer, was organising a community cleanup around the Kaikorai estuary on Sunday.
People were invited to bring rubbish collected to Hancock Park, St Kilda, between 12.30pm and 2.30pm on Sunday.
Rubbish would also be collected from the Warrington domain between noon and 1pm on Sunday.
Other Seaweek events include a rock pool trip next Thursday, run by the Otago Museum and the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre, and activities at the Westpac Aquarium.
The Dunedin City Council is running a poster competition throughout March.
