community - 2026-08-04

Northern Beaches Council backs action as litter and damage threaten coastal dunes

Source: manlyobserver.com.au

Northern Beaches Council will consider ways to prevent and respond to repeated damage to coastal dunes after councillors unanimously backed a motion highlighting persistent littering and vandalism. The push follows growing concern from local clean-up and bush regeneration groups, which say damaged vegetation and large volumes of dumped waste are undermining the dunes that protect beaches and nearby development.

Northern Beaches Council will consider ways to prevent and respond to repeated damage to coastal dunes after councillors unanimously backed a motion highlighting persistent littering and vandalism. The push follows growing concern from local clean-up and bush regeneration groups, which say damaged vegetation and large volumes of dumped waste are undermining the dunes that protect beaches and nearby development. The motion, put forward by Councillor Kristyn Glanville at a recent council meeting, recognised the continuing work of community groups including Friends of Freshwater and Friends of Curl Curl Lagoon. It called attention to the repeated destruction of dune areas despite volunteer efforts to remove rubbish, restore native plants and protect the coastline. Surfrider Foundation Northern Beaches campaign manager Jude Furniss said the organisation's volunteers had collected more than 300kg of litter this year. The program recorded more than 650kg of waste collected during 2025. Bottles and cans make up much of the rubbish, but volunteers have also found sofas, chairs, shopping trolleys, barbecues, surfboards and clothing. Furniss said the level of damage had remained...