Canada Bay clean up - Roads and Maritime Services to help

by Penny Robins on 31 May 2012 Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) will join in the effort to clean up the Canada Bay area this Sunday.

RMS Acting General Manager Maritime Operations Trevor Williams said RMS Environmental Services Officers (ESO), whose job it is to clean up Sydney Harbour each day, would help in the council-organised community clean up.

'Team Up to Clean Up Canada Bay aims to remove rubbish from 32 kilometres of foreshores, 14 bays and 150 parks in the local area and will take place this Sunday to coincide with a low tide,' Mr Williams said.

'RMS ESOs are specialists in cleaning up Sydney Harbour. They provide an on-water cleaning service for Sydney Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta rivers seven days a week.'

'RMS ESOs will participate in Sunday’s community event with one of their specialist vessels - an eight metre purpose-built barge fitted with cranes and a large skip.

'The ESOs will clean up the riparian zone, the land next to the water, where rubbish tends to accumulate, especially at Rodd Point, Sisters and Half Moon bays.

'All the rubbish collected on the day will be transferred to the skip on board the RMS vessel which then will be taken to RMS headquarters in Rozelle for disposal,' Mr Williams said.

The RMS Environmental Services fleet last year collected around 2800 cubic metres of litter and debris, the equivalent of 121 garbage trucks.

Environmental Services crews clean Sydney Harbour and the navigable waters of Parramatta and Lane Cove Rivers – 5020 hectares of waterways and a combined foreshore of 270km.

Environmental Services craft are also used for supporting water traffic management at major aquatic events and have fire fighting and oil spill response capability.

The most common items found in the daily clean-ups are fast food packaging, plastic containers, cigarette butts and plastic shopping Roads and Maritime Services NSW website