Noticed Aslings Beach looking cleaner of late? Thank Our Coast Our Mission pair Malcom Doyle and Bella Liang, who are aiming to clean 60 beaches stretching 9000km over 30 days.
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The team joined locals on November 7 as part of its East Coast Spring Clean 2017, collecting swathes of rubbish before recycling it.
Boomerang Bags Bega Valley Sapphire Coast coordinator, Dörte Planert, joined the clean, saying there was plenty to be found along Eden’s beach.
“At Eden we found heaps of plastic flowers from the close-by cemetery,” Ms Planert said.
At Eden we found heaps of plastic flowers from the close-by cemetery
- Boomerang Bags Bega Valley Sapphire Coast coordinator, Dörte Planert
“Perhaps residents could refrain from plastic decoration and rather plant a nice small decorative shrub.”
It was the first of two beaches the team tackled that day after cleaning up Pambula Beach in the afternoon and taking to Bermagui the following day.
Ms Planert said the rubbish found on Pambula Beach seemed to carry over from the neighbouring caravan park, including camping utensils, barbecue coal bags and shower caps.
In addition to the usual waste such as plastic and cigarette butts, the spring clean also discovered a rusty bicycle, large freezer Esky and bongs.
She said a lack of recycling bins at popular beaches meant helpers resorted to taking the recyclable rubbish home.
“We sorted it and put everything that’s still recyclable in sacks and then to our own recycling bin,” Ms Planert said.
Our Coast Our Mission’s Instagram page posted about the day’s clean.
“Between Eden and Pambula we managed to collect 494 glass, plastic and aluminium bottles,” the post said.
“Sounding like a broken record, NSW, Victoria and Queensland need a container deposit scheme now.”
The NSW container deposit scheme, Return and Earn, will start across NSW on December 1 with the aim of reducing litter in the state by 40 per cent by 2020. An apt date for the next visit.
The team will return to Merimbula on December 1 from 4pm to 7pm, meeting at the Merimbula Visitor Information Centre. Locals who wish to take part can simply show up and collect a bag.
The clean will run from the start of Beach St near the intersection of Main St and head south-west towards the Market St bridge.