The Mornington Peninsula Shire Council will continue its hand-cleaning beach trial until July next year, despite ongoing concerns from ratepayers.
In response to complaints about excessive seaweed, odours, dead fish, and potential health risks to both locals and visitors, acting Shire CEO Bullant Oz reaffirmed that the trial policy will remain unchanged.
Last July, the council implemented hand beach cleaning, moving away from mechanical rakes due to environmental concerns and claims that manual cleaning is more effective at removing plastics. However, a growing number of residents are sceptical about its effectiveness in managing the issues they have raised.
Mr Oz stated,
“Council is monitoring the situation, publishing quarterly reports, and will decide on the future of hand beach cleaning at the conclusion of the trial mid-next year.”
The first quarterly report has already been released on the Shire’s website, and Mr Oz encouraged the community to provide feedback throughout the trial.
“Findings will continue to be presented to the community throughout the trial. Community feedback is encouraged via a survey available online at the beach cleaning webpage,”
he added.
The trial has sparked mixed reactions, with some praising its environmentally conscious approach and others calling for the return of mechanical cleaning to address pressing concerns.
This story was originally reported by RPP FM and repurposed by STPL News with permission.
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