New council solution to clear 'foul' seaweed from Warrnambool's Lady Bay beach

Chief executive officer Peter Schneider said the city council was working with user groups to come up with a solution to clear the beach, including the potential of allowing a commercial operation to come in and use it as compost.

Mr Schneider was responding to a question from Warrnambool Ratepayers Association member Brian Kelson, on behalf of Lisa Moore, during public question time at Monday's council meeting.

"The mass amounts of foul-smelling seaweed caused by mother nature each day has been allowed to build up on the beach in front of the Pavilion cafe where tourists are encouraged to go for coffee and dining, yet the smells are unbearable," he said.

Mr Kelson asked why the council couldn't clean up the area more often, especially during the holiday seasons, or add the seaweed clippings to gardens as part of a commercial compost process.

"All residents are making the most of recycling programs so why can't we use this seaweed to do the same?"

In March, a petition with 250 signatures was presented to council calling for seaweed in front of the pavilion to be removed because it was becoming a safety hazard.

The petition was started after seaweed was left to pile up to a metre-high between the pavilion and Worm Bay despite heavy machinery being regularly brought in to clear seaweed further along the beach towards the surf club.

In response, the council promised to review its policies.

Mr Schneider said council officers had provided a briefing and further information to councillors, and they were trying to come to a solution before October when they start cleaning the beach three times a week until Easter.

"It's not a simple process and we are working through with some of the user groups at the moment to try and come up with a solution to it," he said.

Mr Kelson also asked if any thought had been given to putting it out to tender for anyone willing to take it on as a business.

Mr Schneider said that option had been considered, and in the past there had been someone who had expressed an interest in it but they never followed through with that.

"That is one of the options that we would have an exploration of as well," he said.

"There is a number of things that possibly could be done with it, for instance it could go into FOGO or composting or something like that if the right person had a system where they were willing to take that on and take the material and could use it in composting.

"We are exploring all those options."

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