JANUARY
KOHITATEA 2020
Old habits still disappoint at beach clean up by Carl McRae The twice-yearly Burdan’s Gate beach clean-up was held at the end of the year and organiser Sarah Pettus says it was the biggest turn out of volunteers since she initiated the campaign a few years ago. “Fifty one people turned up,” she said, “ranging from ten to eighty-plus. We had a cloudy, windy ol’ Wellington day, but thankfully the rain mostly held off until the very end.” Bags and gloves were provided to volunteers, who also took advantage of Dave Woulfe’s generous offer to use bikes from the Bike Shed free of charge for the morning. Approximately 15 large rubbish bags were filled, plus a few large items, one being a hot water cylinder. Sarah says straws, bottle caps and plastic clothes pegs were as prevalent as always, plus a syringe. “Although most of the r ubbish is unintentional,” she says, “in the sense that it’s blown or washed onto the beaches, I’m disappointed and angry to report that lots of rubbish continues to be intentionally thrown or hidden in the flax and ngaio bushes by the picnic table at the end of the road.” “Every six months we’re pulling out plastic plates and forks, aluminium cans and glass bottles, nappies, used condoms and wrappers, large chippy bags. "It’s so unnecessary, there are plenty of rubbish bins in the area.” Opposite: Sage Pettus, Devon Reddaway and Grace Hotop pulled this hot water cylinder out from the ngaio and flax bushes near Burdan’s Gate.