Environmental Services
RubbishNSW Maritime has a number of statutory responsibilities with respect to improving safety and protecting the environment on the State’s navigable waterways, including the removal of rubbish from Sydney Harbour. The Environmental Services team cleans the waters and foreshores of Sydney Harbour and navigable waters of the Parramatta and Lane Cove Rivers. This area consists of 5020 hectares and a combined foreshore length of 270km. The service provided by NSW Maritime through its Environmental Services team is currently the only effective means of removing floating litter and waste from Sydney Harbour including storm water pollution, other visible debris and floating hazards to navigation. On average more than 3,500 cubic meters of rubbish is collected per year, ranging from large objects such as trees and tyres to the debris washed into the harbour from harbour side suburbs and small items left behind on beaches and other foreshore locations by members of the public.
Water pollution / SewageThe Environmental Services team manages the free sewage pumpout stations at Blackwattle Bay and King Street wharf. The team also monitors the use of other free public fixed pumpout facilities available in Sydney Harbour to recreational and commercial vessels operators. Usage data from all monitored pumpouts in the Harbour and the mobile pumpout in Myall Lakes is electronically collected by Environmental Services and published monthly. The location of pumpout facilities on Sydney Harbour can be found at the following link.
Beneficiaries of a clean harbourA clean Sydney Harbour is of benefit to the tourist industry, harbour-side local government, the recreational boating public, operators of commercial vessels, waterfront property holders and the public who use the beaches and foreshores of Sydney Harbour.
Historical backgroundIn the early 1900s the Environmental Services team’s predecessors were known as the “rat catchers” of Sydney, formed to combat the spread of the Bubonic Plague. The trapping of infected rats was a vital service to the health of Sydneysiders. In the 1930s, the “rat catchers” became the Harbour Cleaning Service. In timber boats a crew of hardy souls who didn’t mind the salt, spray or the smell, would collect debris and floating rubbish. The retrieval of dead animals and other unsavoury objects from Sydney Harbour was a common task. In the 1950’s the wooden boats gained the luxury of engines but it was the greater environmental awareness stemming from the “Clean Up Australia” campaign that instigated the purchase of the present harbour cleaning equipment in June 1989. In 1990, the NSW Maritime Authority took on the responsibility for cleaning Sydney Harbour as a major environmental initiative. The role of the Harbour Cleaning Branch changed to Environmental Services in 2002. It has grown in conjunction with the NSW Maritime's enhanced responsibilities as an Appropriate Regulatory Authority under the State's environment protection laws. It demonstrates an increased environmental engagement and provides a stronger focus on environmental performance within commercial and recreational vessel fleets on Sydney Harbour. An additional duty, for example, involves monitoring compliance by contracting and building companies regarding deployment of anti-pollution booms and skirts around foreshore construction sites. Today’s Environmental Services Branch has a team of 15, who work the vessels on a seven day per week schedule. The team and its equipment is also used to provide operational support to the major events on and around Sydney Harbour. These events include the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race Start on Boxing Day, New Years Eve and Australia Day, for which marker buoys are laid to indicate safety exclusion zones on the harbour. For several years, Environmental Services has also been conducting a Joint Foreshore Cleaning Project. Local Council areas nominate foreshore areas to be cleaned in a land based operation, labour is provided through the Department of Corrective Services Community Service Order and Periodic Detainee Rehabilitation Program, Clean Up Australia’s bus is loaned to the project with all planning, transport and supervision provided by the Harbour Cleaning Service. Councils bear the cost of transport and disposal of rubbish collected.
Environmental Services vesselsThe equipment described below is designed to combat the rubbish pollution problem for the entire Sydney Harbour area including the foreshores and tributaries.
GadarraThis twin-hull vessel has an overall length of 15 metres, a full displacement of 62 tonnes and a complement of three crew. The vessel intercepts and mechanically collects rubbish floating in the harbour before it reaches the foreshore. Rubbish is collected and directed by a rotor at the bow into two 7 cubic metre wire containers suspended between the hulls. The main area of operation is from Manly to Ryde along the main channels and all the bays and inlets to where the water depth exceeds two metres. On a priority basis the Gadarra is also deployed up the Parramatta River and Middle Harbour. The rubbish collecting capacity of the Gadarra is virtually unlimited ranging from single floating items to large expanses of debris. The vessel can also collect large items such as logs, cable reels and truck tyres which present hazards to navigation. When the wire containers are full, they are emptied into waste containers at the NSW Maritime depot in Rozelle Bay until collected by waste disposal contractors.
"Fast response" Environmental Services launchesThere are two 7.8m Fast Response work boats and ES1 and ES4 have twin fourstroke, low-pollution outboard engines. Each vessel has a crew of two. The craft carry 1 x 3m3 cubic metre bins and provide rapid response to rubbish problems throughout the harbour and can reach beaches and shallow waters inaccessible to the Gadarra. They are also used to regularly clean booms across stormwater channels emptying into the harbour. These are installed by Sydney Water at Rushcutters Bay, Blackwattle Bay, Dobroyd Point and Hawthorn Canal. In 1998 and 1999, Fast Response vessels ES5 and ES6 joined the fleet. These vessels combine the best features of the four small fast response vessels and also have landing barge capability. ES5 and ES6 are 10.5 metres in length and powered by twin 150hp outboard engines. Their power operated ramps allow direct access to beaches and enable transport of power barrow beach cleaning equipment to and from appropriate locations. The on-board cranes and addition of surface skimming equipment allow these vessels to provide fast response for almost any cleaning requirement. ES7, the latest purpose built vessel, is 11 metres in length and retains the features of ES5 and ES6 – power operated ramp, on board crane and also includes wire containers as used in “Gadarra” These containers can be dropped into position between the twin hulls for efficient capture of on water rubbish and can be lifted clear as needed when the vessel is used for foreshore cleaning.
Beach cleaning equipment - power barrowsThese barrows can be transported by vessel to foreshore locations. They significantly increase the efficiency of rubbish removal by filtering and removing the sand from the captured refuse and transporting rubbish directly to the rubbish skips on the vessel. This improves safety through reduced manual handling, and is environmentally and financially beneficial through reduction in use of bags for collected rubbish.
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