Help Clean Up – September 1st at 9:30am from the Eastern end of Eastern Beach to the Geelong Boat Ramp. 3220 Beach Patrol Geelong is a new local community group connected to Beach Patrol Australia. Beach Patrol is an organised network of community volunteers that stretch right around Port Phillip Bay, including Corio Bay and the Bellarine Peninsula.
It’s a simple model that sees local residents join the group on monthly clean-ups of the Geelong shoreline. We’ll be focusing on cleaning different areas between Rippleside Park and the Limeburners (Geelong) Boat Ramp. This will include, the sand at the water’s edge, the footpaths, boardwalks and parklands that form the waterfront precinct right along the southern edge of Corio Bay.
Geelong residents are incredibly lucky to have such a vibrant waterfront. The area attracts millions of visitors throughout the year who enjoy beachside activities including swimming, boating, paddle boarding, recreational fishing and sightseeing. Then there are the cafes, restaurants and bars along Western and Eastern Beach Rd. not to mention those that extend right out over the water.
With the influx of human activity comes the inevitable increase in human rubbish. And that’s what 3220 Beach Patrol Geelong aims to address. The statistics on plastic pollution in #Australia are alarming. For example, 21,000 bottles and cans are littered or enter landfill in Australia every minute! Sadly, this can often be evidenced locally with a walk along #Geelong’s waterfront.
One of the things I see all too regularly when paddling out on the water is plastic bags floating on or just below the water’s surface. Unfortunately to our bay dolphins, these plastic bags are easily mistaken for jellyfish, an important part of the dolphins’ diet. Plastic bags are killing innocent marine life and we all have a responsibility to do something about it.
The smaller pieces of plastic that end up in the bay are just as destructive. These tiny pieces of plastic can very quickly end up covered in algae and look very appetising to other marine life including fish and shorebirds. And now this plastic pollution has entered the human food chain. Marine life are ingesting so much plastic that it’s in the seafood people eat.
It really is a tragedy that human carelessness is having such a profound impact on the marine ecosystem. Through 3220 Beach Patrol Geelong, we hope to do our part locally to improve and protect the health of our bay.
Story sourced by Jacqui Bennett from Shane Elevato. Picture Supplied.
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