The Wallamba River is "breathing easier" after MidCoast Council, with the help of local volunteers and contractors removed an astonishing three tonnes of accumulated rubbish from between Failford and the entrance to Wallis Lake at Tuncurry.
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"The impacts of marine debris on the health of the Wallamba River have been reduced thanks to the funding provided by the Recreational Fishing Trust for this project" said Council's Assistant Environmental Officer (Great Lakes), Peter Goonan.
"The bulk of the rubbish collected consisted of plastic drink bottles, glass bottles, food packaging and approximately 100 dumped car tyres."
There were also considerable numbers of plastic bags removed from the river, with over 300 plastic bait bags picked up during the clean-up.
Plastics can end up in the food chain as they break down over time into many smaller pieces which may be mistakenly consumed by fish and other marine creatures leading to serious injury and even death. They can also end up on the dinner plate when caught recreationally and commercially.
"Overall the Wallamba River estuary is in good condition and we thank the large proportion of the community who love and care for our fantastic part of the coast and who regularly help to keep our waterways clean.
"The efforts of volunteers not only keeps our waterways clean but sets the standard for the community to keep our lakes rubbish free" said Mr Goonan.
"Projects such as these cannot be successful without community support and we thank the volunteers who helped out with the clean-up and the Recreational Fishing Trust for the funding support.
"These funds are raised through the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee and are spent on improving recreational fishing in NSW. We'd like to give a special mention and thanks to the volunteers who participated through promotion of the project on the 'Keep Our Paradise Rubbish Free' facebook page".