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The results are in for Clean Up Australia Day 2022

 

Thanks to our volunteers, 390kg of harmful litter was removed from our waterways

On a day well-known amongst Australians for getting out into the community, clean-up events across 5 nationwide locations saw our volunteer teams banding together to clean up our environment.

Friends, families, students and scout groups grabbed their gloves and litter pickers and set about cleaning their local patches across Gladstone, Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth. Our local council and community partners included the 1^stSalisbury Scouts Group, Adelaide’s St Peters College, Altona Beach Patrol, Mullaloo Beach Community Group, and Friends of Ralph Bay.

 

 

Cleanup veterans

For some volunteers, it was their first time taking part in a cleanup, with many taken aback by the volume of ocean litter they witnessed first-hand. In Hobart, Project Officer Ash was joined by locals who had been involved in cleaning up the area for the last 10 years.

We’re incredibly thankful to the almost 200 people who participated in our clean up events and helped to remove 390kg of harmful litter from their local catchment areas.

While our events in Brisbane and Sydney were cancelled due to heavy rain and flooding, we hope that these communities are staying safe and we’re excited to host events in these locations once it is safe to do so.

 

1 hour: 2000 butts

While we certainly contributed to creating cleaner beaches, rivers and parklands, that wasn’t the only goal of the day. Our team were also busy collecting valuable information about the types of litter found during their clean up. Of the 5256 items our teams collected and surveyed, 4131 were made of plastic – almost 80%. Plastic items such as cigarette butts, drink bottles, food wrappers and straws were some of the most frequently reported items across all our sites. Our team in Melbourne worked alongside Altona Beach Patrol, who collected approximately 2000 cigarette butts in just one hour!

 

Start with the source

This information, combined with data collected over the last 2 years of our #SeaToSource project, will help to guide source reduction activities in each of our focus catchment areas. By gaining a better understanding of the types of litter in our local areas, we are working with the local community and organisations such as the CSIRO to address ocean litter at the source.

 

Huge thank yous all round

Once again, our team would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the countless volunteers, community groups and other stakeholders who helped to make these events a resounding success.

 

But wait, there’s more

Couldn’t come along to these events, or loved Clean Up Australia Day so much that you’re ready for round 2? Good news: our #SeaToSource National Day of Action is coming up soon.

Join us on April 23^rd for one day of action to create a lifetime of change for our oceans.

 

National Day of Action

Across 6 major cities, you will have a chance to clean up our beaches and waterways, while also taking part in a range of family-friendly workshops and activities. All equipment and guidance is provided, and the day will be supervised by our Project Officers who live and work near the waterways we’ll all be caring for.

Want to know more?

 

 

#SeaToSource is a project supported by the Australian Government under the Environment Restoration Fund.

 

Find out more at cva.org.au/seatosource