Volunteers clean up the coast

TWENTY-four volunteers collected bags full of rubbish during Ocean Grove Coastcare’s eighth Clean Up Australia Day event at the weekend.

Local Coastcare president Fran McAloon said there was unfortunately no shortage of rubbish around the coast on Sunday, with volunteers removing multiple bags of rubbish and recycling in just one or two hours.

Ms McAllon said that based on Coastcare’s annual clean ups to date, the items of greatest concern were 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.”

The local scouts and Ocean Grove Surf Lifesaving Club also held clean-up events. Meanwhile, down the coast in Lorne, members of the Lorne Aquatic and Angling Club and local residents filled 21 bags of rubbish on Sunday from the carparks at Big Hill in Lorne.