Smokers told to butt out at Bayside beaches

It’s been banned at restaurants, train stations, schools and hospitals — and now smoking will be outlawed at all Melbourne beaches after one inner-city council vowed to stamp out the habit. Here’s where and when the latest restrictions kick in.

Bayside Council has banned smoking at all its beaches from next year.

Smoking will be outlawed at every Melbourne beach from next year, after Bayside Council became the fourth and final Victorian municipality to ban beachgoers from lighting up.

Councillors this month voted to ban smoking at all beaches, foreshores and nearby car parks, including Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary, Dendy St beach and the Brighton Dunes.

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The move followed a strong community-led campaign last year to rid the shores of pollution, led by the Marine Education Science and Community Centre (MESAC) and supported by more than 700 people.

And it means smoking is now banned at all city beaches spanning from Altona to Beaumaris, after Hobsons Bay introduced smoking bans for its western beaches in 2011, Port Phillip banned beach smoking in 2010, and Surf Coast Shire led the way in 2008.

MESAC spokeswoman Virginia Mosk said the Bayside community had pulled out all stops to get smoking stamped out and said it was a “great result for our precious beaches and sea life”.

“Last year we collected over 15,000 cigarette butts at the Ricketts Point area alone — and that was only the ones we got to, and only collecting once a month covering a small area of beach each time,” Ms Mosk said.

“If we extrapolated those figures to cover the whole of the sanctuary it would be more likely 5-6 times that number….. or even more.”

Sandringham Foreshore Association president Vicki Karalis said as a medical practitioner, she knew all too well the benefits that would come with the butt ban.

“Exposure to passive smoking can cause health concerns such as cancers, lung and heart disease (and) infants are particularly vulnerable as exposure to smoke causes asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and other lung diseases,” she said.

“The no smoking ban will help create a healthier environment to visit the beaches and sends a good message for young people.”

Beaumaris Secondary students also got on board, with foundation teacher Chelsie Millar saying it only took 10 minutes to fill up a large container with cigarette butts when they visited last year.

“For years we have witnessed tradies and sales reps doing their business while sitting in their cars and throwing their cigarette butts out the window, it’s disgusting,” Ms Millar said.

“We are starting to spend a lot of time at the sanctuary … looking at the human impact of the marine ecosystem, and it needs to be protected.”

The council’s city planning and amenity director Dr Hamish Reid said it would take about 12 months to implement the ban.