Scarborough Ponds and Tonbridge Creek in Kogarah, Sydney are important fish nurseries for the Georges River, and have recently been made even more habitable thanks to the efforts of 67 volunteers cleaning up approximately 100 kilograms of plastic and other rubbish for the Georges Riverkeeper’s Paddle Against Plastic 2023 event on Saturday 4 March 2023.
Bayside Council Mayor, Dr Christina Curry, said: “Thank you to all the community volunteers who gave up their time and came out in kayaks and on foot to help remove plastic and other rubbish from these important waterways.”
Georges Riverkeeper Program Manager, Scott Reyes, said, “Plastic doesn’t break down, it just breaks up, into smaller and smaller pieces that stay in the environment for hundreds of years. Picking up as much plastic pollution and other litter as we can see from environments like ponds, creeks, waterways and riversides during community events such as this helps to educate people about the plastic problem and is one of the best ways to remove the plastic already in our environment. Absolutely every little bit counts.”
Taking to the water in kayaks, canoes, and stand up paddle boards, armed with gloves, pick up sticks and rubbish bags, volunteers successfully removed many items of plastic waste, including discarded packaging and polystyrene, food containers and drink bottles, and plastic chairs & bread crates.
The event was arranged by Georges Riverkeeper in collaboration with Bayside Council and the River Canoe Club.
Georges Riverkeeper coordinates projects on behalf of its eight member councils along the length of the Georges River and within the catchment, focusing on litter prevention and removal, water quality monitoring and research, bush regeneration and water rehabilitation, stormwater and sewage advocacy, and community education.
