Community groups to clean coast

OCEAN Grove Coastcare will hold its eighth Clean Up Australia Day event this weekend, and is pleased to hear two other local community groups will join the crusade.

Coastcare president Fran McAloon said Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club had their first clean-up around the car park adjacent to their club and the Dunes café in 2017, and would repeat that this year, while the local scouts would also clean up a site along the Ocean Grove Spit.

“Unfortunately there is no shortage of rubbish around the coast and it is expected that each group will remove multiple bags of rubbish and recycling in just one or two hours,” Ms McAloon said.

“Based on Coastcare’s seven annual clean-ups to date, the items of greatest concern are cigarette butts and pieces of plastic.

“When these break down and are allowed to enter the river and ocean, they are commonly mistaken for food by fish and the toxins they absorb from the plastic end up on our dinner plates.

“We’d love to get to a point when these clean-up days are not needed.”

Coastcare’s clean-up will start on Sunday March 4 at 10am – meeting at the Guthridge Street boat ramp (off Wallington Road, next to the golf course) and will run until noon.

Gloves and bags will be provided, and wear sturdy shoes and sun protection.

Children are welcome, but need to be supervised by an adult.

You can register at cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/Ocean+Grove+boat+ramp or just turn up on the day to register before 10am.

For more information, email [email protected].

The scouts and Surf Lifesaving Club clean-up events will be held on a different day to March 4, and are for their members only.