NEARLY one million pieces of plastic rubbish have been picked up by Victorian volunteer groups in the last decade, prompting calls for more people to help out.
BeachPatrol Australia has volunteer groups operating in both Frankston and Seaford. It is seeking more volunteers to help clean up local beaches and streets.
BeachPatrol Australia president Ross Headifen said members of BeachPatrol and Love Our Street groups had picked up around 900,000 pieces of plastic since they started recording statistics nine years ago.
“We currently have a great team of volunteers who are determined to continue this important work. However, we need more volunteers to grow our movement. We are coming together to not only tidy our suburbs but to reinforce our position in highlighting the need to reduce the number of single-use plastic items being used and the associated amount of litter being discarded,” Headifen said.
“Our campaign is also an effort to raise awareness by re-educating the community that littering just shows a lack of care for our environment. We all should know how to be sensible when it comes to proper rubbish disposal methods. So why are we still failing?”
Statewide, BeachPatrol Australia volunteers help clean up 42 different suburbs, and log an average of 120 clean-ups a month.
Jacqui O’Leary from Frankston’s BeachPatrol and Love Our Street said the volunteer group needs more people to be able to clean up more of Frankston. “Our organisation needs more volunteers and new group leaders to grow the vital work we are doing all year round into more areas. We are on a clear mission to not only pick up litter and record it, but also to re-educate the community on the use and abuse of plastic,” she said.
To find a BeachPatrol volunteer group visit beachpatrol.com.au