A boogie board, a shopping trolley and an old armchair were just some of the items removed from Bateau Bay Beach following a community clean up day on January 30.
The event was coordinated by local conservationist, Marc Jacewicz, AKA The Travelling Bushman, and saw around 20 members of the community roll up their sleeves and comb the sand for plastics and other litter.
According to Jacewicz, volunteers did an amazing job, with the group collecting a ute’s worth of rubbish from the beach.
“It was certainly all hands on deck as we did a full sweep of the beach, picking up everything from microplastics and a tent to some asbestos, and I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the guys who came along and just got the job done.
“They did such a good job that I almost ran out of garbage bags and had to empty the contents out into my ute’s tray and hand the bags back so people could keep cleaning.
“Such a humble and fantastic crew.”
However, while the beach is certainly cleaner, the sheer amount of rubbish collected has Jacewicz feeling dirty about the state of beach management on the Coast.
“The amount of waste we collected is quite frankly unacceptable and it really makes me worry about what kind of dumping might be going on at some of our more remote beaches.
“We have so much amazing wild and marine life in and around our beaches and lakes, but they’re all under threat from pollution and land clearing, so it just makes me angry that people think littering our beaches is okay.
“To help curb this problem I think Parks and Wildlife should be inspecting and cleaning the beaches more regularly.
“It really does hurt my heart to think that the Coast could have some of the most pristine beaches and waterways, but we’re fighting a losing battle and everywhere you go there’s microplastics which are causing the most damage,” Jacewicz said.
Determined to stir change, Jacewicz said he was planning another community clean up somewhere around the Tuggerah Lakes later this year.
For the time being, the wildlife warrior is urging residents to do their part to keep the Coast clean.
“If we keep going down this path there’ll be more plastic in our oceans than marine life by 2050, but everyone can play a part in cleaning up our beaches.
“It really is as easy as picking up a bit of rubbish and putting it in the bin.”
Dilon Luke