Founded in 2009, Beach Patrol is an organised network of volunteers who pledge one hour each month to sweep public spaces across Melbourne collecting rubbish to help keep the environment clean.
Beach Patrol groups started in Albert Park and now span from Rye to Geelong creating a chain of volunteer groups all dedicated to keeping Port Phillip Bay clean for marine life.
From plastic bags, bottles and straws, to cigarette butts, coffee cups and now face masks, volunteers go above and beyond to help look after the public spaces we all enjoy.
Ramona Headifen, treasurer for Beach Patrol Australia and co-leader for Port Melbourne’s Beach Patrol and Love Our Street groups, said: “We have a group for every beach in Port Phillip. The Council does a lot of cleaning, but you think, what else can I do as an individual and as a community member?
“It’s one of those problems where most people are aware of it, but until they look at it and see it, they don’t realise how big of a problem it is.
“We say many hands make light work. Picking up litter is something that almost anybody can do. It’s a problem that we as humans have created and I think it takes a community response to address it,” she said.
Port Phillip Council has always been a proud supporter of Beach Patrol and Love Our Street, whose members are easy to spot in their bright coloured shirts, many of which came thanks to various council grants over the years.
Inspired by Beach Patrol’s initiative, Elwood resident Jill Sokol decided the same work could be applied to community streets and parks in a bid to prevent waste from reaching beaches and waterways.
From there, several Love Our Street groups were founded across Melbourne, with the City of Port Phillip being at the heart of this movement. Much like Beach Patrol, they meet once a month at one of their local streets for a clean-up before enjoying a coffee together.
“Typically, our groups meet for an hour each month in a location they might feel needs a bit of attention,” Ms Sokol said.
“It’s very heartening to be involved with other people who not only share a concern for the environment about plastic pollution, but are also willing to take action.”
Beach Patrol’s volunteers have been responsible for the collection of more than 100,000 kilograms of rubbish over nearly 50,000 hours of volunteering. The groups even use their own Litter Stopper App and conduct research into the types of litter that are most commonly found in our public spaces.
Beach Patrol and Love Our Street groups also take part in proactive measures to reduce littering by working with local schools to raise awareness of the litter problem and help educate students about reducing, reusing and recycling.
