Surfrider Southcoast members take great pride in keeping our beaches clean at all times.

This Sunday members will take part in Clean Up Australia Day and do their bit to reduce the amount of plastic and other garbage  entering the sea.

Group member Susie Crick said the Surfrider Foundation was also launching its Rise Above Plastics campaign, calling on surfers and beachgoers to  stop their ocean from turning into a ‘‘plastic soup’’.

‘‘We are meeting at Stuart Park from 10am this Sunday and are calling on Illawarra surfers and others who like their beaches and ocean clean and free of plastics to join us in a clean-up of Puckey’s Lagoon and surrounding beach, parkland and dunes,’’ she said.

‘‘We are specifically asking surfers to help us because we will be wading up the creek, so we need people with reef boots, wet suits, hats and sunglasses and gloves to get the plastic and other trash trapped in the reed beds and backwaters.

‘‘Most plastic pollution of our waterways and seas start out on land as litter on beaches, streets and footpaths.

‘‘This litter doesn’t magically disappear but flushes down our gutters and drains to our creeks and streams,  which lead to the ocean and beaches.’’

Mrs Crick encouraged boardrider clubs and surf lifesaving clubs to send a team on Sunday.

The second phase of Rise Above Plastics would involve stencilling stormwater culverts with the messages ‘‘This gutter drains to the sea’’ or ‘‘This drain is only for rain’’.

‘‘It’s hoped these messages would act as a reminder to the community and our visitors not to drop their rubbish on the road or footpath because it will ultimately end up on the beach and in the surf,’’ she said.

Information: Email southcoastnsw@surfrider.org.au