Local beaches win awards
Pearl Beach and Killcare Beach have received highly commended awards at the State Clean Beach Challenge awards ceremony held in Sydney on December 4.
Keep Australia Beautiful NSW chief executive officer Mr Peter McLean said it was a great achievement for two beaches in one region to be recognised.
"It's a huge achievement for any beach to be recognised at state level in the Clean Beach
Challenge because the competition is getting tougher every year," Mr McLean said.
"But the fact that two beaches received awards in the Central Coast region indicates that the local community and council are doing some really fantastic work."
Pearl Beach received a highly commended award for the prestigious Overall Clean Beach Challenge State Award while Killcare Beach also received a highly commended award for the installation of a cooking oil recycling facility at the Killcare Surf Club.
Mr McLean said the beach and bush environment were greatly valued at Pearl Beach and were tended to through partnerships between Gosford Council, and Bush Care and Dune Care volunteers on a regular basis.
"This small but well known community deserves recognition for the way they have protected the beach in conjunction with the local council, the way they continue to participate in its upkeep and the way they have provided for community education and activities regarding the beach environment," Mr McLean said.
Mr McLean said Killcare Beach's cooking oil recycling facility processed the cooking oil into biodiesel and also had water harvesting in place and solar heating for hot water.
"The cooking oil recycling facility at Killcare Beach is a great initiative and demonstrates that recycling, resource recovery and community partnerships can achieve positive results for the beachside environment, especially as we head into summer and tourists head to the beach," Mr McLean said.
Press release, 5 Dec 2009
Elizabeth Jarrett, Keep Australia Beautiful NSW