This source reduction plan was designed by participants in Geraldton during a workshop funded through Keep Australia Beautiful Council WA Litter Prevention Grants. The goal of the source reduction plan is to reduce the amount of discarded recreational fishing gear at Drummond Cove. The fishing gear is often left behind on the beach, lost or damaged; particularly during storm events. It is important to address this issue in the local community because derelict fishing gear affects the health of marine life as well as human and pet safety.
The main aim of the source reduction plan is to raise awareness of the issue. Local council may be approached to provide bins, signage, an app and an infographic cartoon fish which explains how plastic is littered, and then eaten by fish and eventually humans. Bait bags are a large part of the problem therefore fishing shops will be approached to sell bulk bait rather than the smaller bags and the fishing clubs will be asked to display posters with the slogan “no bags on boats”. The fisheries may be able to raise the issue in education with schools and when they process fishing license renewals they could provide a flyer about marine debris. Stubby holders could also be used for promotion of the issue. Schools will be encouraged to join the Waste Wise Schools program which provides educational strategies to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. The success of this source reduction plan will be measured during the 2015 WA Beach Clean-up event.
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