Recently the Meelup Regional Park Management Committee began planning that would ensure that beaches and coastal nodes within the park would remain clean and pristine for locals and visitors alike in years to come. It has been noted that during the recent peak period there were large volumes of rubbish observed at all of the coastal nodes and some of the small pull-in bays along the coastal road in Meelup Regional Park. Much of this was removed by volunteers and local residents.
The Meelup Regional Park Management Committee is looking for volunteers who would be willing to accept responsibility for on-going monitoring and cleaning of individual beaches in the Park. If you would be willing to help with this project, please email mandy@meeluppark.com
As Mandy Polley, the Meelup Environment Officer mentioned during our discussions, we need to accept that there will always be some litter, however with the right combination of education, regulation and provision of infrastructure, we can to minimize this in the Park.
Litter was identified as the key environmental issue in the Meelup Visitor Survey Report, which is a consistent message across all natural areas. Not only does it have an environmental impact, but it impacts visitor enjoyment of an otherwise pristine natural area – there are also safety issues associated with broken glass and discarded cigarette butts are a potential fire hazard.
It has been found that litter makes an area look dirty and uncared for and attracts more litter. Littered areas are not pleasant to be in and are less likely to be used by people. In contrast, people are more reluctant to litter clean areas. This can be extended to the importance of the enhancement of the coastal road and its nodes. By beautifying and maintaining these areas there is less likelihood that they will be trashed. Unkempt and uncared for areas are more likely to attract the type of behavior that reduces respect for the park and its environment, and results in littering, garbage disposal and the like.
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