A whopping 1250 kilograms of rubbish has been collected along the Werribee River in a clean-up spearheaded by Beach Patrol 3030 and the Werribee River Association.
Eighteen volunteers collected the rubbish in just three hours, with the results deemed “disturbing” by Beach Patrol 3030’s Rob Bradley.
With the help of Holcim Werribee staff, 793 bottles and cans, 403 plastic bags, 59 food packaging items, four shopping trolleys, three bikes and a sofa were collected. The clean-up took place at the rear of Prouse Place.
Mr Bradley said the strangest item found in the river was a mini-motorbike.
“It was spotted by our canoeist and hauled up by rope and muscle,” he said.
“It was definitely the strangest thing to be found in the river.
“There was so much rubbish that the council truck had to come back for a second load.”
Mr Bradley said the rubbish in the river was having a detrimental effect on the health of the river and the platypuses that call it home.
He also expressed concerns about the impact the rubbish had on marine life when it reached the bay.
“We had another clean-up not too long ago, so there’s a lot being dumped in a short period of time,” he said.
The next scheduled clean-up will be on February 12 at Campbell’s Cove from 11.30am. Volunteers are welcome.
