2022-09-06 Planning & Environment Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   6 SEPTEMBER 2022




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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                             6 SEPTEMBER 2022

               6.0.   Environmental Organisation Perspective — Director Ten Little Pieces
               Contributing environmental organisations for this presentation included Sea Shepherd, Tangaroa
               Blue, Cleanwater Group, Ocean Crusaders, Take 3 for The Sea, Coolum & North Shore Coast
               Care, Surfrider Foundation, Sunshine Coast Environmental Foundation, Reef Check Australia,
               and Ten Little Pieces.

               Environmental organisations worked collaboratively during the pontoon disaster to reduce and
               mitigate impacts caused by polystyrene debris.
               NSC environmental disaster response needs improvements and a range of recommended
               changes are required to avoid future impacts in collaboration with the community and other
               agencies.
               The impact of polystyrene pollution on sea animals and shorebirds is of extreme concern. Noosa
               Shire region has more than 300 endangered and vulnerable species. Only a fraction of the
               pollutants has been retrieved and disposed of. Polystyrene contains identified carcinogens and
               neurotoxins, it is easily ingested and absorbed by wildlife and lasts forever in the environment.
               Polystyrene pollution events should prompt the same response as an oil spill disaster due to
               toxicity and long-lasting effects of this pollutant on wildlife and the food chain.
               There is need for the development of a local disaster management group/coordinating mechanism
               to provide updates and ongoing emergency communication, including clear logistical information
               and maps with locations of debris and hazards. Centralised communication information and
               sharing including identification of pollution hotspots is required.
               Efficient community volunteer mobilisation with centralised media updates and daily briefing and
               updates is essential. This could include activation of a ‘phone tree’ of organisations with the
               capability to respond to environmental disaster emergency services.
               Council support for volunteer logistics and coordination would be helpful.
               Increase efficiency in resource allocation is needed with possible support from SES and military
               involvement where specialist equipment needed.
               There is need for identified debris collection points and access to landfill facilities at no cost to
               volunteers.

               Need machinery to move the pontoons above the tide zones and the provision of relevant
               equipment such as vacuums, brooms, sieves, containment barriers for regional and remote
               locations and beach buggies.
               Environmental organisations’ recommendations on emergency response methodology included
               communication, monitoring, debris retrieval, dispersal reduction, ongoing marine debris retrieval.
               Need a prompt response from natural disaster emergency services with mitigation activities
               underway within the first 24 to 48 hours of the event.
               Use of efficient containment measures with primary and secondary boundary protections to control
               and effectively contain material dispersal is needed.
               Also need GPS location and monitoring of the pollution movement.
               Appropriate pollution retrieval is needed that includes minimal material exposure and dispersal.

              Minutes - Polystyrene Round Table - 21 July 2022                                         Page 7

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