World Environment Day—protecting Waverley’s coastline

Protecting Waverley’s beaches and coastline from construction pollution is a key focus of Waverley Council’s World Environment Day celebrations on Monday, 5 June.

In April and May alone, the Council’s compliance officers issued fines of $40,000 to builders for failing to secure construction sediments at work sites at Bondi Beach, Bondi Junction and Dover Heights.

Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos, said if sediment, including soil, dirt and construction materials are not properly managed on building sites, it can travel through our stormwater drains and destroy aquatic habitats and smother native plants and animals.

“It can also block stormwater drains, leading to flooding and overflows, and cause health and safety risks such as poor water quality at our beaches, slippery roads and trip hazards,” Mayor Masselos said.

From 13 April to 20 May, compliance officers issued five fines of $8000 each.

“There is absolutely no excuse for this type of behaviour which can have lasting impacts on the ecology of the very environment in which these homes are being built,” Mayor Masselos said.

“I commend our Council officers for helping ensure that builders and developers follow the rules set out in their development approvals and have effective erosion and sediment control measures in place.

“Our Council and the Waverley community expect builders and their contractors to respect our proximity to the coastline and to follow the rules.”

Waverley Council is committed to making sustainability second nature, and in 2019 declared a state of climate and biodiversity emergency acknowledging that urgent collaborative action at all levels of government is necessary to protect our environment and community for future generations.

In July 2021, it became one of the first organisations in Australia to declare a target of net zero carbon emissions for the Council by 2030. In March 2022, it declared a net zero target of 2035 for the Waverley community.

“Waverley is famous for its beautiful beaches and we all must take responsibility to ensure our behaviour doesn’t impact negatively on the health of our environment, and that includes not littering.”

Waverley Council encourages the community to report any potential construction site pollution or sediment control matters using the Snap Send Solve app or via our Make a Request page on our website.

For more about sustainability in Waverley, including community led actions, events and leading local case studies  visit waverley.nsw.gov.au/secondnature.

-ENDS-

Media inquiries: media@waverley.nsw.gov.au or 0416 075 532.