Four years of calls to clean up the Warrnambool breakwater have fallen on deaf ears after the heaviest haul of rubbish was recently collected.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Nearly 54 kilograms of litter was removed from the area at an annual clean up hosted by Beach Patrol on Sunday, February 4.
More than 4500 items were picked up by 38 volunteers in what event coordinator Genevieve Bale described as a "very disappointing" day.
"We've held the annual clean up there for four years and this being the biggest collection so far highlights the ongoing need for a bit of change down there," she said.
"We need more bins and more signage."
Among the most common items collected were cigarette butts (2500) and fishing line pieces (679). Food packaging was also prominent.
The severity of the issue was highlighted when the breakwater's ocean floor was dredged in November 2022, which unearthed 148 kilograms of rubbish.
During the event, volunteers recorded 30 clean-ups in Beach Patrol's Litter Stopper App and database, collecting 5264 items including 867 shredded cans.
Ms Bale said the introduction of the Container Deposit Scheme had little effect on reducing the number of beer bottles and cans collected.
But she said one positive was a lack of rubbish left on the beach after the New Year's Eve fireworks.
