Chelsea • Mordialloc • Mentone
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Wednesday 9 September 2020
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Birds in danger
Picture: Celia Furt
IN what seems an unlikely scenario, birds, particularly seabirds, have become collateral victims of the coronavirus pandemic. Large numbers of disposable but not biodegradable face masks are entering the environment, adding to the already overwhelming pollution of beaches and waterways. Disposing of the masks, which can take years to break down, has become a massive problem world wide. Not only are discarded masks potential spreaders of the coronavirus (research shows that under certain conditions viruses can survive up to seven days on plastic masks), but they are also a danger to wildlife. Masks can smother the environment and are ingested by animals which sometimes cannot distinguish between plastic and their prey. If ingested, masks and other plastics swell and fill an animal’s stomach. Smaller animals can also become entangled in the masks. Disposable masks should be placed in rubbish bins and not with recyclables.
No cigarette butts on the beach Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au SMOKING is now banned in all foreshore, beach, and reserve areas across the Kingston municipality. Tobacco product and e-cigarette use was banned by council this month. Fines of $500 can be applied to people
who defy the smoking ban. Council undertook a period of community consultation about the ban earlier this year. Kingston mayor Georgina Oxley said that local residents were “overwhelmingly in support of the introduction of smoke-free areas in Kingston.” “The feedback we received is the
community wants to see smoking banned along our foreshore areas and in our reserves to reduce passive smoking and keep our beaches and bay free of butts,” she said. “If you’ve been down to the beach and picked up rubbish like our wonderful local beach patrol groups you’ll know that there’s a huge number of cigarette butts col-
lected each week that can end up in our beautiful bay. “The smoke-free zones will also help ensure the community is protected from passive smoking, no one enjoying our beautiful foreshore areas and reserves should have to be exposed to other people’s second hand smoke or vape clouds.”
Cr Oxley also said that council is considering extending the ban to local shopping strips. Earlier this year, council introduced a 24-hour drinking ban on the Mordialloc foreshore. Booze bans also apply in foreshore areas in Carrum and Chelsea (“Booze ban around the clock”, The News, 12/2/20).
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