Portarlington Clean Up Day to reach milestone tenth year

THE beaches of Portarlington are ready to be combed of rubbish for a 10th year as Clean Up Australia Day makes its way to the Bellarine town.

The nationwide clean-up set for March 5 has become an annual event in Portarlington, particularly for members of local community group Woofers and Walkers.

The responsible dog-walking group has taken it upon themselves to organise this year’s event in Portarlington once again, set to run this Saturday from 10am at Steele’s Rock.

“We are blessed with a beautiful environment and the health of our bay benefits from keeping rubbish to a minimum,” secretary of Woofers and Walkers Julie Elterman said.

“We thank all the dog owners that pick up all year, however this clean-up day allows us to work together to pick up harder and get to hidden and heavier waste.

“More hands on the day enable us to cover a good distance along the foreshore, and this is supported by Bellarine Bayside and volunteers. It’s a great team effort.”

This year, Clean Up Australia has launched a citizen science project to measure the impact of the global pandemic through asking groups to tally and report on how many face masks they collect.

Being so close to the bay, face masks and other disposable plastics are a big concern for the Portarlington Clean Up and Woofers and
Walkers.

“We will definitely be paying close attention to face masks and will report our tally of how many we find and help to ‘unmask’ the problem locally and nationally,” Ms Elterman added.

Chief executive officer of Bellarine Bayside, Bruce Elliot, said the organisation was pleased to support local community action on the coast.

“It’s great to see the enthusiasm and care that people have for the coast,” Mr Elliot said.

“We are very supportive of Woofers and Walkers organising this event annually and see it as a great way of celebrating community action. We also recognise that lots of locals pick up litter every day and we thank them as well.”

Residents and visitors are more than welcome to arrive on the day.

The collection will run from 10am to 12pm, with volunteers meeting on the grassed area above the Fairfax Street Boat Ramp locally known as Steele’s Rock.

Litter collection bags will be provided on the day, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own gloves, wear sturdy shoes and be sun smart.