Guy Boston of 3206 Beach Patrol came to ask Council last night to consider banning smoking on beaches following the example of several Sydney coastal councils, as well as Surf Coast Shire in Victoria. These are the butts collected on Clean Up Australia Day on Sandridge Beach.
Here are the butt facts again
- When it rains, cigarette butts lying in our streets and gutters are carried via stormwater directly onto our beaches.
- Cigarette butts can take up to 12 months to break down in freshwater and up to 5 years to break down in seawater.
- The chemicals contained in these butts and the butts themselves impact on our water quality and can be deadly to marine life.
- Butts have been found in the stomachs of young birds, sea turtles and other marine creatures. (source www.CleanUp.org.au)
The issue is also canvassed on the front page of this week's Leader portphillipleader.com.au
What do you think?
2 comments:
I think Guy is doing a great job. An enormous amount of effort has been put out there over a long period prompting smokers not to litter yet the butts keep raining down so I say ban them from the beaches.
Thanks for the feedback Nick. It seems like the momentum is building.
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