Cleaner marina focus at Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
by Hamish Hardy 3 Jun 2020 02:07 PDT
Commodore Paul Billingham with one of the newly installed SeaBins located in the CYCA Marina © Cruising Yacht Club of Australia
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has installed six marine-cleaning SeaBin devices around the Club premises in Rushcutters Bay, reaffirming the Club's commitment to the environment.
The project - part of the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment's, Waste Less Recycle More initiative - will result in a reduction of up to 8.4 tonnes of marine litter each year.
"The Club is keen to ensure we do all we can to limit our impact on the environment - whether we're on the water or off it," CYCA Commodore Paul Billingham says.
"The installation of these devices around the CYCA will make a big difference to the local aquatic environment, ridding the area of much of the mixed marine litter and general debris including water bottles, food wrappers and other rubbish."
The project came to fruition through a project partnership with Woollahra Municipal Council.
"With assistance from a State Government litter reduction grant, Woollahra Council is delighted to have partnered with the CYCA on the installation of SeaBins throughout the marina to help keep our beautiful harbour clean," Mayor of Woollahra, Councillor Susan Wynne, said.
"We all need to take an active role in preventing pollution from entering our waterways and reducing the amount of litter in Sydney Harbour. Council's 'Love our Harbour' program provides us with the opportunity to work with the local community and organisations like the CYCA on steps we can take to look after one of our most precious natural assets - Sydney Harbour."
The CYCA's commitment to the environment comes on the back of a range of other measures it has implemented recently. The Club has installed more than 100 solar panels on the roof of the newly refurbished Clubhouse, both reducing the Club's energy bill and providing a renewable energy source that is used across food, beverage, operations and administration departments; shifted to paperless communications across a range of areas of activity; removed plastic bags from the Clubhouse, with Members and guests encouraged to either go bagless or use provided paper bags; and removed plastic straws from the Clubhouse.
The CYCA will be announcing more steps and improvements around sustainability in the future.