A couple who held a gender reveal party at a sports oval have outraged locals and the council after leaving their rubbish for others to pick up.
Hosts and “entitled” guests left James Browne Oval in Woy Woy on the New South Wales central coast covered in bright blue plastic streamers.
An angry resident took a photo of the trash-strewn park and shared it online on a community Facebook page, saying the mess left behind was harmful to the environment, according to Yahoo.
“To the lazy, entitled fools who had a gender reveal party at James Browne Oval at the weekend and left a field full of plastic streamers for the birds, dogs and eventually fish to digest,” she wrote.
‘Could you please go back and pick up your mess? The level of stupidity is terrifying.’
The hundreds of streamers were scattered across a large section of the field, which is used most weekends for football and track and field.
Her post sparked anger among local residents, who called for gender reveal parties to be banned on sports grounds due to the potential negative impact on clubs.
“This should be banned in parks and public spaces. Do it in your own garden!” one resident fumed.
The hosts of a gender reveal party on the New South Wales Central Coast have been branded “privileged”, “lazy” and “selfish” and of having no regard for the environment.
Another added: “It’s terrible. Some people just don’t care about the environment.”
One local called the hosts’ actions “so disrespectful” that they should pay to have them cleaned up.
But some residents came to the couple’s defense, writing that the streamers may not have been made of plastic at all, but a biodegradable substance like rice paper, which breaks down when it comes into contact with water.
Central Coast Council admitted that clearing the park had been hard work.
“The council is aware of this issue and has been attempting to clear up the rubbish generated by this private event, however, as the rubbish included confetti, this has proven difficult,” a spokesperson told Yahoo.
‘It is disappointing that some members of the community act in this way, ultimately leaving the cleanup in the hands of others.
‘The cost of municipal cleaning ultimately falls on all taxpayers.’
The James Browne Oval (pictured) at Woy Woy is used for many local sports at weekends.
Outraged residents questioned whether events such as gender reveal parties (file image) should be allowed on sporting ovals because of the impact on the grounds and the environment.
The council reminded residents to respect all parks and sports fields, including not leaving litter and checking whether private events are permitted in these locations.
Environmental expert Mark Brown described the incident as littering.
“The public should be very aware of the particles they are releasing into the environment,” he said.
Cip Hamilton, director of the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s plastics campaign, added that once plastic is in the environment, it stays there forever and can break down into microplastics that can be fatal to wildlife.
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