The easing of COVID-19 restrictions has meant greater movement around the Far South Coast for locals and tourists alike, but a recent unpleasant find is a good reminder for all to take responsibility for their rubbish.
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Local resident and No Balloon Release Australia member Karen Joynes said after the June long weekend she found piles of rubbish left at a beach south of Bermagui.
She said she collected litter like fishing hooks and line, a water bottle and coffee cups from the beach as well as plastic and cardboard packaging from a nearby carpark.
Also, somewhat ironically, one of the bags left behind was printed with "There is No Planet B - Please Reuse Me".
A No Balloon Release Australia spokesperson said fishing gear is among the top three killers of marine wildlife, the others being balloons and plastic bags.
"With so much education about littering in the public realm, there is no excuse for leaving discarded fishing gear on a beach," they said.
Ms Joynes said she occasionally finds similar piles of rubbish on the same beach, usually after a long weekend.
"Visitors are needed, but we need ones that care for the area they are coming to visit," she said.
"Most fishermen are much better than they used to be, it's just the odd group that comes through that shows no respect for the environment."
A Bega Valley Shire Council spokesperson said council had not observed any increase in public littering over the recent long weekend.
"Council encourages everyone to dispose of litter responsibly," they said.
"Council rangers actively patrol for littering and can impose fines.
"Where safe to do so, we encourage people to collect litter left by others to keep our shire clean and prevent it washing into our waterways and ocean."
According to an NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) report from 2013 the estimated cost of litter services nationally is about $300million to $350million each year.
But, in promising news, another report stated there has been a 19 per cent reduction in the volume of litter in NSW from 2012 to 2017, with the same report also stating cigarette butts are the most littered item, making up 43 per cent of all items.
The EPA states there is a range of fines for the different types of littering, including:
- $80 for littering small items, such as bottle tops and cigarette butts;
- $250 for general littering;
- $250 for an individual littering from a vehicle ($500 for corporations); and
- $450 for littering in aggravated or dangerous circumstances, such as depositing a syringe or a lit cigarette ($900 for corporations).
If you witness littering from a car you can make an online report to the NSW EPA.
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Albert McKnight
Journalist at Bega District News.
Journalist at Bega District News.
