Bin there, done that: Barwon Coast’s Maddie Glynn and Zoos Victoria’s Adrian Howard and Ben Sanders with the new fishing waste bins.
By Michelle Herbison
NEW BINS for fishing waste will protect Barwon Heads’ marine life from the dangers of plastic.
This week Zoos Victoria donated six “Seal the Loop” bins for Barwon Coast Committee of Management to install in popular fishing spots.
Made from recycled plastic collected at Melbourne Zoo, the bins are designed for fishing lines and hooks.
Two will go on Barwon Heads’ pedestrian bridge and one each at Fisherman’s and Ozone jetties, the town’s camping ground and on Riverview estuary trail.
Zoos Victoria’s Ben Sanders said marine animals were entangled in plastic every day.
“But if we can get to the root of the problem it’s quite easily prevented,” he said.
“It’s easy for anglers and anyone on the coast to put fishing rubbish in the bins.”
Mr Sanders said the bins would be clearly signed to educate the community.
The bins had collected more than 1.5km of fishing line during a five-month trial in Port Phillip Bay last year, he said.
The coast committee’s Bob Jordan said land-based fishing had recently increased at Barwon Heads.
“The new pedestrian bridge has become an incredibly popular fishing spot and there has been considerable amount of waste left behind by some fishermen.”
Mr Jordan said Barwon Coast encouraged anglers to tidy up after themselves.
“If fishing lines and those kind of things get out into the river they can cause problems to marine life.”
