Heading to the beach at any time of year is one of our nation’s favourite pastimes, and our South Coast beaches are amongst the best in the world! The variety on offer along this stretch of NSW provides a wonderful playground for swimmers, surfers, families exploring rockpools, fishermen and hikers. To top it off we have the majesty of the escarpment as a backdrop.
The thing that really stands out about this special strip of coastline is the friendliness of the people and the sense of community pride and belonging. Our region’s beaches are renowned for their general cleanliness and great public amenities, therefore making us a magnet for day trippers and those seeking a gentler pace.
Nature is amazingly resilient, however, she needs our help in maintaining our pristine environment into the future. Whenever you venture to the beach remember to take only memories and leave only footprints. When single-use plastics and unsustainable packaging are phased out, we won’t have to worry, but until then we can choose to refuse, or ensure that the remnants of your picnics and packed snacks are disposed of correctly in the bins provided.
On those crowded weekends when the bins are overflowing, there is a great app called SNAP SEND SOLVE that identifies and resolves issues of waste removal. Simply snap a photo of the problem on your phone, and a report that includes the geolocation is immediately sent to the appropriate authority.
The plastic pollution problem in our oceans is real and requires us to make changes to the way we do things. Refusing unnecessary plastic packaging is a great way to start. Too often we throw up our hands thinking that we can’t make a difference, when in fact we can, because our wallets speak volumes to manufacturers. After all, we are buying the product not the packaging, so when we start making clever choices, industry will change their ways.
Every bit of plastic ever made is still in existence, either in landfill, heading downstream or in our oceans. Decades of convenience have created one hot mess for the planet and for future generations. There is no place to safely bury, burn or drown single-use plastic.
When each individual makes small changes that regenerate nature rather than polluting it, then the collective change will be great.
The solution is simple, just turn off the plastic tap and stop it at the source because we all live downstream.