The proposed first beach clean up was postponed after expected bad weather on February 3, and Coastal Warriors member Liam McAlary said hopefully the group will get a good turnout this weekend.

“We had to cancel our first beach clean up because of expected bad weather, the Hastings was forecast to endure thunderstorms and rain so we decided it was best for everyone if we postponed for a week,” Mr McAlary said.

“But now we are really excited to kick off 2018 with our first beach clean up this weekend and we are wanting as many people as possible to come down and help us rid the beach of rubbish.”

Mr McAlary said it is important rubbish is cleared from beaches to both protect marine life as well as to preserve the coastline for generations to come.

“The amount of rubbish we are finding at each clean up is remaining consistent and that is probably due to the amount of tourists and visitors coming to the area who may not be as invested in the environment as the warriors and the locals who live here are,” he said.

“Everyone in Port Macquarie loves the beach and we want them to remain as nice and pristine as they can.”

In the five clean ups in 2017 more than 700 kilos of rubbish was collected with an average of 50 people helping at each clean, and Mr McAlary said that in 2018 the Coastal Warriors group are looking to expand the area they cover.

“We are the Mid North Coast Coastal Warriors and though we did have a clean up day at Rainbow Beach in 2017, we are wanting to stretch to include more of the Mid North Coast in our rubbish collection drives this year,” he said.

Registration for the beach clean up will commence at 8.30am on Saturday, February 10 and the Coastal Warriors Mid North Coast ask people to return their rubbish by 10.30am for collection and record.

Tacking Point Lions club will also be hosting a barbecue on the day.

“We would love for everyone to come down and ensure our beaches stay clean.”