There’s a cleanup today (Wednesday 25) on Tuncurry’s Point Road by local self-proclaimed eco-warriors. Earlier this month 19 locals donated an hour to remove rubbish from Paradise Marina to Spice Monkey. The ethos of giving it back returned two-fold, thanks to one business donating a free canoe ride and another providing ice-creams. 

Collected were 30 plastic bottles, 52 glass bottles, 20 cans, McDonalds cups 27, McDonalds straws 19, 3 soiled nappies, 100 pieces of paper or cardboard, more than 600 cigarette butts, 2 pairs of undies, 19 Gloria Jeans Cups, 1 number plate, 1 beach umbrella, 1 broken deck chair, 2 bike tubes, 1m of garden hose, 200 pieces of general waste.

Meanwhile a local campaign encouraging residents to register with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and report littering offences should help.

Locally managed by Midwaste, 15,000 people in NSW have already registered through the NSW EPA website when they see litter thrown from a vehicle, with fines of $250 or more.

“Litter damages our natural environments, harms wildlife and sea creatures,” said Midwaste’s Ali Bigg.

“Each year, over 25,000 tonnes of litter is tossed in NSW and it costs more than $180 million per year to manage the problem… By locals registering to report littering from vehicles, they become part of the solution.”