Latest news with #AustralianMarineDebrisInitiative
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sad 1,342kg detail in photos from remote beach reveals 'relentless' problem
It should be a picturesque Aussie oasis but there is one major problem plaguing this well known island. And these images show just how bad a global crisis has become. In just a short 10 metre stretch of sand along Greta Beach on Australia's Christmas Island, volunteers found some 17,500 pieces of rubbish and marine debris washed up on the beach this week. Sometimes referred to as the Galapagos of Australia, the protected area is a known hotspot for the endless stream of marine rubbish. While promoted for its inherent beauty, you don't have to go far reading the reviews on TripAdvisor to learn about the contaminating problem. "Beautiful beach covered in ocean rubbish," the top review is titled. "Don't let the plastic put you off. Go there, collect a rubbish bag at the start of the track and do the environment a favour," another reviewer wrote. "Rubbish I am afraid, no I mean full of rubbish," a third review is titled. The Tangaroa Blue Foundation coordinates a huge network of volunteers and uses the Australian Marine Debris Initiative to record rubbish washed up on Australian beaches. Its members were part of a team that removed a massive haul of trash from the beach. "June brings huge volumes of marine debris. Despite our team's efforts, it was washing in faster than we could remove it, a stark reminder of the issue's relentless nature," the group said. It's likely that just about every single piece came from another country. "This is a global problem with local impacts that demands international action," it said. Rare photos capture incredible whale rescue off Australian coast Detail in beach photo proves $17 billion Aussie issue is 'getting worse' 10-tonne find on Aussie beach highlights devastating issue The ocean surrounding Christmas Island was declared a marine park in 2022, making it Australia's second largest protected area, and complementing the already established National Park more than half the island. The group shared photos online showing the grim extent of the scourge in the otherwise gorgeous area. In the end, they collected 33 bags of debris weighing a whopping 221 kilograms. The group was joined this week by students from the Christmas Island District High School who also shared before and after photos following the extensive cleanup with that number surging. "We successfully removed and audited 846kg of marine debris — plus an additional 496kg of hard plastic remnant. That's a total of 1,342kg of marine pollution cleared from Greta Beach," the school said. Despite years of growing public awareness and initiatives to tackle plastic pollution, the overall problem isn't letting up, according to Tangaroa Blue's CEO Heidi Taylor. "The question I often get asked is if it's getting better," she told Yahoo News recently. "And the answer is no". "That's because the world's population is getting bigger and we keep using more and more stuff, even if the same percentage is being released into the environment, that would still equate to a greater volume. "So overall, it is getting worse." After more than 20 years of laboriously counting ocean rubbish, she has been part of building the "biggest database of marine debris in the southern hemisphere". "I remember the days when we first started talking about marine debris and people thought we were talking about driftwood... It wasn't really on anyone's radar back then," she told Yahoo. "The goal was if we knew where it was coming from, we then knew the right stakeholder group to engage to find a practical solution" to stop it." People who want to help are encouraged to download the Australian Marine Debris Initiative app and start cataloguing what they find.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sad reality behind woman's 'awesome effort' on 200m stretch of remote Aussie coast
It may be a fully protected marine park, but there is no protecting it from the relentless waves upon waves of waste and plastic that wash ashore every day. You've probably never heard of it, but a local woman who spent a recent weekend camping with family and friends in a remote Australian territory in the Indian ocean has highlighted the extent of a growing problem that people like her are systematically trying to address – item by item. Emma was enjoying the beauty of the 'Rip', one of only two fully protected marine park spaces on the southern atoll of Direction Island – a territory closer to Indonesia than the Australian mainland. After going for a snorkel, she embarked on a shoreline clean-up, and managed to find an extraordinary amount of rubbish and plastic nestled along a small stretch of shoreline. "I couldn't believe it—eight bags later and one scooter helmet. It really highlights, to all those who regularly use and love this space, that we need to work together to make a change," she said. Sharing her haul online, the Tangaroa Blue Foundation, which coordinates a huge network of volunteers (like Emma) and uses the Australian Marine Debris Initiative to record rubbish washed up on Australian beaches, said it was a matter of time until the rubbish likely got swept back into the water to pose a threat to marine wildlife. "This marine debris was collected from a mere 200m section of shoreline, ready to wash back into the ocean on the next big tide," it said. While many online praised her "awesome effort", speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Tangaroa Blue's CEO Heidi Taylor said such hauls are just a drop in the ocean, so to speak. "The question I often get asked is if it's getting better," she said. "And the answer is no". RELATED: Grim photos reveal 'eye-opening' problem at 'Australia's ugliest beach' "That's because the world's population is getting bigger and we keep using more and more stuff, even if the same percentage is being released into the environment, that would still equate to a greater volume. "So overall, it is getting worse." After more than 20 years of laboriously counting ocean rubbish, she has been part of building the "biggest database of marine debris in the southern hemisphere". "I remember the days when we first started talking about marine debris and people thought we were talking about driftwood... It wasn't really on anyone's radar back then," she told Yahoo. "The goal was if we knew where it was coming from, we knew the right stakeholder group to engage to find a practical solution." Even after two decades, she is still finding items for the very first time. "Last week I literally found something I've never found in my 21 years – a pool cue," she said. Disturbing vision for Australian beaches as plastic problem grows 'Sad' reminder about the common grocery item killing Aussie wildlife Astonishing number of platypuses found entangled in litter Today, Heidi says the database gives incredibly granular detail over time, showing the effectiveness (or otherwise) of certain programs to reduce waste ending up in our waterways. "We've seen really good successes for particular items that are being targeted – we can tell you what the plastic bag ban has resulted in, in different states, we can tell you what the container deposit scheme has done, what the single use plastic ban has done etc." Overall, it's been a mixed bag. For instance, the supermarket plastic bag ban has largely resulted in different bags washing up. The container deposit scheme has been more successful in reducing waste in NSW than Queensland. Meanwhile certain initiatives targeting cigarette butts have been very successful. Being the first Sunday of March, today is officially Clean Up Australia Day. And for anyone who happens to live near the beach, or simply frequents one occasionally, Hiedi is urging them to get involved with the process. People who want to help are encouraged to download the Australian Marine Debris Initiative app and start cataloguing what they find. "Any dog walker can submit data," Heidi said. "Anybody who wants to contribute is absolutely welcome." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
