Welcome to the July issue of Sustainable Shellharbour. This month we’re thrilled to invite you to a Nature Talk in the Library featuring 101 Things to do with Native Plants. We provide updates on Tinkerage Workshops, Bushcare & Landcare groups, and a new litter reduction program called Luv the Lake. We also invite you to provide feedback on our Draft Climate & Sustainability Policy and Draft Zero Emissions Shellharbour Strategy. Read on for more.

Nature Talks in the Library - 101 Things to do with Native Plants

Attend this month’s Nature Talk in the Library to learn about native plant communities and ecosystems in the Illawarra. 

The Illawarra is home to around 2500 species of native plants, which make up our beautiful natural areas and provide food and shelter for native birds and animals. 

In this Nature Talk you'll discover how you can support the amazing world of our local plant communities and ecosystems, while creating habitats for native fauna. Presented by Leon Fuller, author of “Wollongong's Native Trees", and experienced bush regenerator, Emma Rooksby. 

Date: Thursday 21st July 2022
Time: 6:00pm

The Nature Talks program is coordinated by Shellharbour City Libraries in partnership with Shellharbour City Council’s Environment team. These free monthly events are designed for the community to hear from presenters involved in biodiversity conservation and research, nature photography and wildlife care.

Let’s Chat – Climate and Sustainability Policy and Zero Emissions Shellharbour Strategy

Council created a Draft Climate and Sustainability Policy to outline our vision and commitments for building climate resilience for our city. As an extension of this our Draft Zero Emissions Shellharbour Strategy details the pathway we will take to achieve our net zero targets. 

Our net zero targets are all about doing our part on a local level to contribute to the Paris agreement. In December 2015, Australia along with 196 other nations signed the Paris Agreement (a legally binding international treaty to address and reduce the impacts of climate change by limiting global warming). 

Countries including Australia agreed to work together to ensure that global greenhouse gas emissions would hit a peak as soon as possible and then not increase further. Each nation will contribute to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 (a carbon-neutral world). 

Our net zero greenhouse gas emissions targets are: 

• Net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 for Council operations. 

• Net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for the city. 

On Exhibition  

The documents will be on exhibition at Council’s Administration Centre, Shellharbour Civic Centre, all City Branch Libraries and also available on Council’s Let's Chat Page. 

Public Submissions  

Submissions are invited and will be received from 7 July 2022 until 4.00pm 3 August 2022. Submissions must be received in writing and can be provided in several ways: 

Mail to:  
Chief Executive Officer   
Locked Bag 155   
Shellharbour City Centre, 2529   

Email to: 
council@shellharbour.nsw.gov.au   

Complete the ‘Have your say’ online form through Council's Let's Chat Page. 

The Tinkerage - Thursday and Friday Sessions on

The Tinkerage is a community-use space for the making, repairing, and re-purposing of things that would otherwise end up in landfill. 

Tinkerage sessions run:
Thursdays: 9:30am - 2:00pm 
Fridays: 10:00am - 3:00pm
Participation by gold coin donation. 

Located behind the Reviva Tip Shop at Dunmore Recycling and Waste Disposal Depot, the Tinkerage is a joint venture between Shellharbour City Council and Resource Recovery Australia. 

To book your spot, please contact Anita on 0416 148 202 or tinkerage@resourcerecovery.org.au.  

Spoon Jewellery Workshop at The Tinkerage 

Make your own ring from a salvaged silver-plated spoon. Bonnie will share with you some of her skills in transforming cutlery into wonderful jewellery pieces.   

Date: Saturday 6th August 2022  

Time: 10am to 3pm  

Teacher: Bonnie Herft  

BYO [optional]: 

• Old/salvaged spoon or fork (Silver plated/EPNS) NOT Stainless-steel cutlery  
• Dremel including its attachments, and a jeweler's drill if you have one. 

Location: Reviva Dunmore at 44 Buckleys Road, Dunmore NSW 2529 

You must wear enclosed shoes. The Tinkerage workshops are hands-on and are available for individuals aged 16 years and over only. 

The Tinkerage workshops are free for residents of the Shellharbour City Council local government area. A $40 participation fee applies for non-Shellharbour City Council residents, this is payable on the day of the workshop.

Bushcare and Landcare Groups

Bushcare and Landcare volunteer groups provide an incredible service greening our city and improving the local environment. 

Below are the following dates, times and locations for meet-ups this month. Feel free to contact Mirko, Council’s Acting Natural Areas Supervisor, if you have any questions on 0405 695 935. 

Oakey Creek Bushcare 

The group meets at the Oakey Creek Reserve, located at 1 The Esplanade. For more details, contact Council on 4221 6111. Next Dates:  

• Saturday 9th July (9am – 12pm) 
• Wednesday 20th July (9am – 12pm) 
• Wednesday 3rd August (9am – 12pm) 

Warilla Dunes Bushcare

The group meets in the north side of the surf club on Osborne Parade. Next dates: 

• Saturday 9th July (8am – 10am) 

The Watercourse Bushcare 

The group meets at Campaspe CCT Albion Park. For more details, contact Council on 4221 6111. Next dates: 

• Sunday 17th July (9.30am – 11.30am) 

Tullimbah Landcare  

The group meets at Elizabeth Brownlee Reserve (end of Digby Close, Albion Park). For more details, contact Ruth Jenkins on 0402 027 221. Next dates: 

• Saturday 23rd July (9am – 11am) 

Koona Bay Bushcare 

The group meets at the reserve gate entrance, located at 29 Bridge Ave. It runs on the first Sunday of each month. For more details, contact Christine on 0439 114 955. Next dates: 

• Sunday 7th August (1pm – 4pm) 

Blackbutt Forest Bushcare 

Meeting points vary each month. For more details, contact Russell (group Co-ordinator) on 0466 977 125. Next dates: 

• Sunday 7th August (9am – 12pm) 

As we get into the cooler months, don’t forget to still be sun safe! Bring along your hats, sunscreen, water bottles and sunglasses to the working bees. 

Weed of the Month  

Broad-leaf Privet (Ligustrum lucidum)

Broad-leaf privet originates from eastern Asia and is considered a serious environmental weed in Australia. It is widespread in coastal and tableland areas of NSW. 

Broad-leaf privet grows as an evergreen shrub or small tree to a height of 4-10m. It can be identified by the following features: 

• Brown bark covered in small white lenticels (pores that allow gas exchange)
• Pointed oval-shaped leaves  
• Cream or white tubular flowers 
• Berries are 9 mm long and 12 mm in diameter, and are green when young, turning red through to blue to glossy or purplish black as they ripen

Privets are commonly spread across landscapes by fruit-eating birds and animals who disperse the seed. 

This weed has many negative effects, including: 

• Infestations threaten biodiversity, including endangered plant and animal species and ecological communities 
• Dense stands of privet prevent other vegetation from surviving or establishing 
• Invades ecosystems including subtropical and coastal rainforests, rainforest margins, warm-temperate and dry rainforest, wet and dry eucalypt forests, grassy woodlands, grasslands and riparian vegetation 

Methods of control include hand-weeding, mechanical slashing, and herbicide application; follow-up treatment will almost always be required. 

You can find more information on NSW WeedWise. 

Veggies to Plant in July

Winter is here, but in our relatively mild coastal climate you can still be adding things to your veggie patch. It’s a good time to think about planting: 

• Snow peas  
• Broccoli 
• Kohlrabi 
• Lettuce 
• Radish 

When planting, always follow the recommendations on the packet or label for correct spacing between plants to give them enough room to grow. To keep the harvests coming over a longer period and avoid a surplus of produce all at once, try a few small plantings two to three weeks apart. 

A good layer of mulch will help your veggies and herbs thrive. Sugar cane mulch, sold at Council's Nursery, is a great mulch option for veggie beds.  

Council’s nursery is located on River Oak Place, Oak Flats, and is currently open Monday to Friday 7.30am to 3.45pm (except public holidays). Contact them on 4221 6191 or at nursery@shellharbour.nsw.gov.au.  

Natural Areas Update

Albion Park Garden Club Presentation

Last month, some of Council’s Natural Areas and Environment Officers delivered a presentation to the Albion Park Garden Club about growing local edible and native gardens.

This is just one example of how our teams at Shellharbour City Council engage and collaborate with our local community to help promote sustainable living.

You can access a digital copy of our Grow Local Garden Guides below.

Bush Regeneration

Our Natural Areas team carries out important conservation work in local bushlands to help preserve and restore our natural environment.  

Recently the team has been working in an area of remnant bushland in Albion Park, alongside Shellharbour Airport. This area holds the Endangered Ecological Community called the Illawarra Lowlands Grassy Woodland.  

An Endangered Ecological Community (EEC) is an ecological community identified as facing a high risk of extinction. The NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act), and the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) are the two pieces of legislation that identify EECs in NSW and orders protection of them.  

Let's Get Our Scrap Sorted!

By putting our food scraps into our green lid (FOGO) bin, we are making our community a scrap load better! 

We are:  

• Reducing methane gas emissions 
• Saving landfill space  
• Giving back to the earth by producing nutrient-rich compost 

So come on Shellharbour, let’s get our scrap sorted!  

For more info on what can go into your green lid (FOGO) bin, visit www.shellharbourwaste.com.au/fogo/ 

Brought to you by the NSW Environment Protection Authority. 

Household Chemical Clean out Event

The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, in conjunction with Shellharbour City Council, will be holding a Household Chemical Cleanout on Sunday 24 July 9am-3:30pm at the Albion Oval Carpark, Ash Avenue, Albion Park Rail. 

Bring your old and unwanted household chemicals along and we will dispose and/or recycle them for you, for free! 

You can drop off household quantities of: 

• Garden chemicals 
• Pool chemicals 
• Household chemicals 
• Hobby chemicals 
• Poisons 
• Batteries 
• Paint 
• Motor oils, fluids and fuels 
• Fluro lights 
• Gas bottles 
• Fire extinguishers 
• Smoke detectors 

Quantities are 20L or 20KG, except paint is up to 100L (in 20L containers). 

Before attending, please place all materials in the rear of your vehicle. On arrival, remain inside your vehicle and our contractors will collect the items. 

'Shellharbour Rocks the Marina' - Environment & Natural Areas Stall

Last month, Council's Environment and Natural Areas teams ran a stall at the 'Shellharbour Rocks the Marina' festival. The day was a success, with the community enjoying an incredible line-up of 30 local music acts sprinkled across the waterfront and various market and food stalls. 

The Environment and Natural Areas teams welcomed enquiries about our local environment and enjoyed chatting with community members about wildlife at Blackbutt, Wetlands at Shell Cove and Flinders, our Sustainable Shellharbour Program, and local Bushcare groups.

'Luv the Lake' Litter Prevention & Reduction Program

Shellharbour City Council is committed to litter prevention and reduction and will be targeting litter around Lake Illawarra through a new program called Luv the Lake.   

This project is an NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Waste Less Recycle More initiative funded from the waste levy and provides Shellharbour and Wollongong Councils $75,000 each. It will be delivered over 12 months, from July 2022 to July 2023.  

Lake Illawarra is a significant natural resource within the region, and is immensely valuable from an ecological, social, cultural and economic perspective. Litter has been identified as a high-level threat to the lake and the Luv the Lake initiative aims to address this.   

The program will implement effective litter prevention across Lake Illawarra through community education and events; enforcement and regulation; monitoring and evaluation; and infrastructure improvement. It has been designed to increase community pride, respect and ownership of the lake and its surroundings.  

Although the program will cover the entire Lake Illawarra Foreshore, three hotspot sites have been identified on Shellharbour's side of the lake: 

1. Reddall reserve, near the Fish and Chip kiosk   
2. Picnic Island, immediately west of Windang Bridge   
3. Ski Way Park, in Oak Flats 

In the Neighbourhood  

Plastic Free July - Be Part of the Solution

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution so that we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities.  

The movement has already inspired 100+ million participants in 190 countries to reduce single-use plastic waste. Many small changes will collectively make a massive difference! 

Register for the Challenge and receive weekly tips and tricks to help you keep motivated, and enjoy stories from participants who are taking part around the globe.