Valentine's Day proposal at iconic Aussie beach sparks furious backlash
A resident who came across the plastic debris said it was 'intentional' littering while experts highlighted the potential damage of such a stunt.
Residents living near one of Australia's busiest beaches were fuming after being forced to pick up "hundreds of plastic petals" left on the sand after someone's special Valentine's Day proposal, with marine experts branding the "very intentional" littering "shocking to see".
While everyone loves celebrating love, Manly residents unleashed on Wednesday as the aftermath of someone's special day was found left behind on the sand, with hundreds of plastic rose petals, used candles and plastic wrapping discarded on the beachfront at North Steyne.
A concerned local said "no attempt was made to pick it up" and, before they arrived, "many hundreds" of the petals "would've for sure blown into the sea" to "float around choking wildlife for the next several hundred years". The Manly resident said the plastics would now likely be consumed by "fish, turtles and birds mistaking it for food".
Manly local rages over 'intentional littering'
"Candles were placed in the sand, so it seems the celebration took place there on the beach as well as above by the footpath," the local wrote on social media. "Plastic petals are cheaper than the real thing, but surely whoever you’re doing this for would prefer fewer real petals to hundreds or thousands of fake ones.
"I usually just pick things up and get on with it but this was all very intentional and I believe it doesn’t actually occur to some people to consider the impact when making decisions like this so I want to say: Think about your long term impact, make choices accordingly and feel better about them."
The local added that they "put one to a flame" to confirm the petals were plastic. "It melts and produces black smoke," they said.
Conservationists slam 'shocking' act
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Nicholas Mallos, vice president of Ocean Conservancy’s plastics program said the littering would likely result in the death of wildlife.
"These photos are pretty shocking to see, especially knowing that these items were intentionally littered," Mallos told Yahoo. "In sufficient quantities, ingesting plastics like these can absolutely harm birds and sea creatures.
"In fact, flexible plastics — things like films and plastic bags — have been shown to be particularly deadly, and I’d expect these polyester petals to behave similarly, especially if consumed by smaller animals. It takes only a few tiny pieces of plastic to kill a sea turtle hatchling, for example."
Mallos explained that "in addition to blocking digestive tracks and starving wildlife", plastics like these often contain "chemical additives that disrupt animal feeding and reproductive behaviours", among other impacts.
"Once these items are blown by the wind into the ocean, they can encounter all manner of wildlife. There’s no doubt the beach is a spectacular setting for an event, but it does require special attention to protect the surrounding ecosystem," he said.
'Far better' alternatives are available
AMCS Plastics & Packaging Program Manager Tara Jones agreed. She said there are "far better earth-safe alternatives" for celebration special occasions.
"Small pieces of lightweight plastic can easily be picked up by wind and water and end up in our oceans, where there is a risk they'll be ingested by marine wildlife," Jones told Yahoo News Australia.
"Almost every species group in the ocean has encountered plastic, and the vast majority of these interactions are negative. Pieces of plastic can lead to reduced food uptake in animals who ingest them, because of a false-sense of being full.
"Small, lightweight plastic pieces that float pose risks for seabirds like albatrosses, which feed by skimming the surface. Scientists estimate that around 90 per cent of all seabirds alive today have ingested plastic of some kind.
"Juvenile sea turtles, like the ones hatching now along the Queensland coasts, have been known to ingest hundreds of pieces of plastic in their short life. Our ocean wildlife deserves better."
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