Six easy steps to help protect our beautiful waterways and beaches

Many people across the Beaches are looking for ways they can make small changes to help protect and improve our beautiful beaches.

With our waterways being home to Threatened Ecological Communities as well as endangered species such as the Hairy Pipefish, restoring them to their natural condition is important to protect these communities.

Each year, Council removes more than 2,000 tonnes of waste from our road networks by street sweeping, and an additional 1,200 tonnes of rubbish from our stormwater pollution traps. Much of this waste would end up in our waterways, on our beaches and eventually in the ocean. Instead, much of this waste is recycled to use as asphalt on our roads or for organic fertiliser.

Council’s Zero Waste to Ocean Charter is paving the way for cleaner waterways in our area and elsewhere. We have also encouraged other coastal councils to adopt a similar charter, but our residents can help as well. We suggest you take these simple steps to start making a difference from home:

Put all your rubbish in the bin, or recycling bin where appropriate. This will help stop litter being washed or blown into the water, protecting wildlife and keeping the beaches cleaner.Minimise the use of fertilisers. Fertilisers can be washed away by stormwater and can also be poisonous to marine life. They increase nutrients in the waterways which cause algae blooms that disrupt the aquatic ecology by reducing the availability of oxygen. Where possible, use manual or non-toxic means to remove weeds and unwanted plants from your garden, and encourage growth by using natural products like compost. Make sure nothing escapes into our waterways.  Don’t pour products down the drain. While it might be convenient to pour old cleaning products or cosmetics down the sink, these products can end up in our waterways. Pour leftover product into a plastic bag, secure it closed and pop it in you red landfill bin. Make sure to recycle the containers!Wash your car over your lawn. This gives your lawn a nice drink while also stopping soaps and detergents from ending up in our waterways. If this is not possible, direct your wastewater directly to the sewer (not the gutter) to ensure the water gets treated before it is discharged to the ocean.Put garden scraps in the compost. While you may not think that naturally occurring waste products do much harm, silt caused by soil runoff can deoxygenate the water while branches and leaves can block out sunlight from the marine life below.Take unwanted chemicals to a Chemical CleanOut.  These events are a safe way to dispose of hazardous household chemicals such as paint, cleaners, motor fuels, and pool chemicals. These chemicals can make their way into the water in landfill so it is important to make sure they are disposed of correctly.

Changing small habits such as these at home helps us to keep our waterways and beaches pristine and keep ecosystems thriving for future generations.

Find out more information about the Zero to Waste charter here.