School kids have been brought in to help clean up an abandoned homeless camp along Narara Creek on the New South Wales Central Coast.
Key points:
- Piles of rubbish remain at an abandoned homeless site near Gosford
- School students on a Clean4Shore field trip have started cleaning them up
- Central Coast Council says it aims to remove the rubbish by the end of the month
A huge pile of rubbish remains at the site with items such as suitcases, camping gear, clothing and cooking equipment left behind.
Some of the waste has made its way down to the creek’s foreshore and into the water.
Environmental group Clean4Shore has called for urgent action to have it removed.
“It’s a mess,” Clean4Shore barge operator Simon Funnel said.
“That’s why we’re here doing what we do.”
His charity took a group of students living with disabilities from Narara Valley High School up Narara Creek to start removing the waste.
They were one of the many school groups Clean4Shore has taken out to remove rubbish from waterways over the past 13 years.
Students on the most recent trip collected more than 700 kilograms of rubbish from Brisbane Water and Narara Creek, which were only minutes away from Gosford’s CBD.
Mr Funnel said they saw a stingray, jellyfish, crabs and plenty of birds but the closer they looked, the more rubbish they saw.
The students spotted houseboat cushions, bottles, polystyrene, crates, balls and industrial plastics.
Hidden waste problem
Mr Funnel said it was confronting and concerning that mental health issues and the housing crisis were not being addressed.
“People on low socio-economic incomes need some support to get a house and not live rough like this,” he said.
Narara Valley High School student Joshua Sawdon, 19, said he had never seen rubbish like it before.
“We’ve seen it a few times on TV before, but we’ve never seen it in real life,” he said.
Fellow classmate Saxon Christopoulos said it felt good to help clean up the rubbish.
“It’s just horrible what people do to the environment,” he said.
“So, we’re doing our bit to keep the environment clean and safe.”
Teacher Elona Small said the experience had improved the environment and the students’ understanding of the world around them.
“It’s just too much for the kids to take but they can take a little bit and they understand that this is what happens in the community,” she said.
“They do their little bit to help, and every little bit helps.”
Clean4Shore founder Graham “Jono” Johnston urged the council to clean up the former homeless site and abandoned houseboat quickly before more rubbish entered the waterways.
Central Coast Council said it was continuing its investigation into the issue and aimed to have the waste removed by the end of September.
“Council will work to provide relevant support services to any rough sleepers who may be based in this area,” a spokesperson said.
“[We] will also undertake action to remove any illegally dumped waste.”