With Tangaroa Blue Foundation this week revealing the details of 10 million items littering our waterways and coast, Hunter Local Land Services has paid tribute to the volunteers committed to cleaning up our region, including those involved with a project at Taree’s Browns Creek.
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A total of 4381 volunteers and partners from the Hunter region have taken part in Tangaroa Blue Foundation’s Australian first study revealing the types of rubbish in our waterways and coasts.
The volunteers worked with community groups and partner organisations across the country to collect and record more than 10 million plastic fragments, cigarette butts and plastic lids and bottle caps from local waterways.
“Hunter volunteers contributed essential data to this Australian first study into the origin of rubbish in our oceans and waterways,” Brian Hughes, Hunter Local Land Services estuary and marine officer, said.
“More than 33 kilometres of recreational fishing line was collected in our region alone – that’s an alarming statistic for those that use and love our waterways and ocean.
“Hunter volunteers also found more than 27,000 cigarette butts, and more than 16,000 beer cans and alcohol bottles, which is proof some people still aren’t considering the environmental consequences of their littering seriously.”
The study added 10 million items of rubbish to the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) database in a bid to help save our oceans from plastic and debris.
“By understanding where this rubbish is coming from we can work to stop it at the source before it enters the environment,” Mr Hughes said.
“The removal and prevention of marine debris remains one of the major environmental issues worldwide, and together, we are making significant headway.
“By identifying the type of rubbish, we have been able to support new initiatives like the NSW container deposit scheme, as well as local projects like the Browns Creek Source Reduction project in Taree,” Mr Hughes said.
Browns Creek Source Reduction Project
The Browns Creek Source Reduction Project is an initiative of the Hunter Local Land Services that is being undertaken collaboratively by Hunter Local Land Service, MidCoast Council, Tangaroa Blue and various community/industry groups including the Friends of Browns Creek.
A stakeholder workshop was held in 2016 and are now working towards developing a plan and implementing actions to address the major sources of waste identified at the workshop which includes shopping trolleys, plastics and syringes.
Recent works have involved the installation of a litter trap at Browns Creek and a number of marine debris clean-ups coordinated by the Aboriginal rangers at Taree Indegenous Development and Employment (TIDE).
About Tangaroa Blue:
Tangaroa Blue Foundation is an Australian-wide not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine debris, one of the major environmental issues worldwide. But if all we do is clean-up, that is all we will ever do.
To successfully solve the problem, the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) was created, an on-ground network of volunteers, communities and organisations that contribute data from rubbish collected during beach and river clean-up events to the AMDI Database, and then work on solutions to stop the flow of litter at the source. The AMDI helps communities look after their coastal environment by providing resources and support programs, and collaborates with industry and government to create change on a large scale.
In Maori and Polynesian mythology, Tangaroa is the god of the ocean. Tangaroa made laws to protect the ocean and its sea creatures "Tiaki mai i ahau, maku ano koe e tiaki"... If you look after me, then I will look after you..." When, after a week-long clean-up event, the whales and dolphins come close to our beach and slap their flippers, we sometimes wonder if it is Tangaroa saying "thank you".
Source: Tangaroa Blue Foundation website
