Shocker: Greens Ward 3 council candidate Jamie Dixon (centre) with volunteers and some of the rubbish collected at the lake.
Several shopping trolleys and even a car bumper were among the rubbish pulled out of Lake Illawarra by a group of Greens members on Friday.
The party’s candidate for Ward 3 in the Wollongong City Council election, Jamie Dixon, led the effort to pick up waste plastic and promote the Greens’ goal of a “plastic free Wollongong”.
But they found more than they bargained for, with several bags of rubbish and plastics to go along with the enormous heavier items.
Mr Dixon said while the lake foreshore was a great place for families, most of the local cafes and takeaways are still supplying large numbers of single use items – and when these end up in waterways it can be devastating for
“There are education and guidance programs for businesses already out there,” he said. “The Greens would like to see council take up a guiding role for their implementation throughout Wollongong, and around our waterways is where we can make such a positive change for our local environment.
“Furthermore, the Greens are committed to strengthening the council's waste policy to phase out the use of single use plastics at events at council venues.”
Mr Dixon has one of the more interesting jobs around – he is an alpaca shearer