The weather turned on for the third annual SeaLink Rottnest Island Beach Clean with Eco Surf Australia. On Saturday morning, 40 volunteers headed to Wadjemup / Rottnest Island aboard the SeaLink Ferry from Fremantle, armed with gloves, buckets and tongs to collect rubbish from Pinky Beach and the Basin.
Over one hour, the volunteers collected 31 kilograms of rubbish from Pinky Beach and the Basin. Buried in the sand and wedged in rocks were pieces of plastic, cigarette butts, discarded drink containers and more. All the rubbish was gathered, sorted and recorded for submission to the Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
Besides gathering and compiling the visible litter left behind on the beach, the project also conducted a microplastics assessment of Pinky Beach. This involves sifting through a delineated area of sand for microplastics, pieces of plastic smaller than your fingernail. The microplastics found were logged and recorded to the national database, allowing AUSMAP to identify areas of concern around the country.
Spearheading the project was Sonja Belle-Wood, founder of Eco Surf Australia. Often partnering with Keep Australia Beautiful Council, Ausmap and Tangaroa Blue Foundation, Sonja coordinates beach and river cleans around Perth.
Sonja and her team of volunteers not only remove damaging rubbish from the ecosystem and gather data about the state of our waterways. She is also educating a new generation about the importance of caring for our marine environments. Included in the group of volunteers were many younger children and students, members of the generation that will inherit the consequences of the choices we make today.
Contributing to the day’s success were several businesses who provided their services complimentary to support the cleanup activities. SeaLink provided ferry tickets for the group and the Rottnest Island Authority waived the landing fee, allowing the volunteers to travel to Wadjemup / Rottnest Island. Morning tea was provided by Discovery Rottnest while Rottnest General Store provided a delicious lunch for all participants.
Well done and thank you to the team at Eco Surf Australia, the sponsors and all the volunteers who participated in the beach clean!
