Beach vacuum hits the dunes

Council has deployed an industrial vacuum to Noosa’s eastern beaches as part of the effort to remove polystyrene waste from the pontoons that washed ashore during the floods earlier this year. 

Council staff are collecting polystyrene by hand where the vacuum can’t reach.

“We’d hoped to deploy the vacuum earlier this month but the ongoing heavy rain hampered our plans,” Council’s Acting Environment Services Manager Shaun Walsh said.

Mounted on a four-wheel-drive vehicle, the vacuum is equipped with a screen to filter polystyrene particles from the sand so the sand can be returned to the beach, free of the polystyrene material.

The vacuum was in operation Tuesday in the vicinity of Beach Access 40 at Castaways Beach.

“As per our original plan we’ll be concentrating on the dunes behind the beach where the wind has swept a lot of the smaller polystyrene particles. 

“With no purpose-built technology for tackling this issue – the removal of polystyrene pollution from beaches – there are a lot of stakeholders watching how this operation goes.”

Council crews will follow behind the vacuum crew collecting remaining particles by hand.

“We thank the community for their tremendous efforts supporting the clean-up by hand in recent weeks. It’s been a huge help in tackling this problem so far.

“Bags are still available at the busier beach access points for anyone who’d like to help the clean-up by filling a bag and returning it to the access point when done.” 

The clean-up operation underway at Castaways Beach on Tuesday.

The industrial vacuum is mounted on a four-wheel-drive truck.