Clean Up Australia Day 2018 was again very successful on the Northern Beaches with 95 sites including groups, schools and businesses participating on Sunday 4 March.

At Manly Cove, 106 volunteer scuba divers from Dive Centre Manly removed 80kg of rubbish from the water in just one hour.

Single-use plastics including plastic bags, plastic cutlery, plastic food wrappers and plastic straws made up 76% of items removed from the water on the day.

Other materials removed included glass bottles, aluminium cans, cigarette lighters, nappies, toothbrushes, rope, wire, rubber bands, wood fragments, toys and clothing.

A total of 9.8 tonnes of waste was removed from the Local Government Area while a number of heavy items including sunken boats, car parts and a quad bike were recovered from offshore locations.

General Manager Environment and Infrastructure Ben Taylor said the efforts of those volunteers are greatly appreciated.

“I’m so proud of everyone who took part in this year’s Clean Up Australia Day. We live in such a beautiful area and need to respect the natural environment to ensure it is left pristine for generations to come.

“While Clean Up Australia Day happens once a year, it is up to each and every one of us to responsibly remove and dispose of rubbish daily to ensure it does not end up in our parks, reserves, waterways and the ocean,” Ben Taylor said.