Ocean Grove locals get busy on Clean Up Australia Day

MORE than 60 Ocean Grove locals got their hands dirty and collected litter around the foreshore during Clean Up Australia Day, held on Sunday.

Ocean Grove Coastcare and the Surf Lifesaving Club joined forces to clean up the pathways between Hodgson Street and the Surf Club.

The group of nearly 30 volunteers collected six large bags of rubbish and two large bags of recycling, along with a further half bag of cans and bottles eligible for the Container Deposit Scheme.

Cigarette butts remained the most frequent single item picked up, with about 970 found.

“The volume of these along with other plastic litter – whether intact snack bags or broken up pieces from food and drink containers and bags – remains a concern, given how easy it is for birds and marine animals to mistake pieces for food, or become entangled in larger pieces” Ocean Grove Coastcare’s Margot Busch said.

Further west along the foreshore, The CONNECT Initiative – led by Natalie Woodfull with 21 adults and 14 children – scoured an area within Riverside Campground and walking paths on the river side of Bukareeyoo (formerly known as The Spit), gathering up six bags of rubbish and two bags of recycling.

“It was amazing and inspiring to see how involved and passionate the next generation were to be involved to Clean Up Australia,” Ms Woodfull said.