A multi-pronged attack was utilised on Sunday to clean-up Wollongong’s harbour and beach precinct.
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More than 100 volunteers got down and dirty and picked up hundreds of cigarette butts, bottles and containers along North Wollongong Beach as part of the Beat the Bottle event held to coincide with Clean Up Australia Day.
While down the harbour six Wollongong Freedivers plunged into the water to remove rubbish including bottles and straws.
Freediver Sandra Dohring said the group were doing their bit to help Surfrider UOW’s Clean Up Australia Day activities.
Plastic Free Wollongong spokesman Andy Gray said a great turnout of people showed up to sweep up the beach area.
“Everything is downhill to the ocean so what we don’t pick up here on land eventually ends up into the ocean..and we know that the impacts of that are serious for marine and wildlife,” he said.
“Whilst it might not look like there's a lot of litter down here it is amazing what you find in half an hour.
“We’ve got hundreds of cigarette butts, hundreds of bottles and containers, hundreds of bags and if it wasn’t for us picking them up it goes into the ocean.”
About 215 kilograms of rubbish, including 4000 cigarette butts and an entire surfboard were removed from North Wollongong Beach during the Beat The Bottle event..
Gray said Plastic Free Wollongong’s simple message was to say no to single use plastics.
“And that means using your reusable items such as bottles, coffee cups and bags and then saying no to unnecessary single use plastic items such as straws when you are out,” he said.
“It’s also important to support those businesses who have alredy made the switch to sustainable alternatives.”