2 days ago
Grim 200kg find on picturesque beach prompts plea to Aussies
Known for its picturesque beaches, sparkling blue water and colourful reefs, the Whitsunday Islands attract hundreds of thousands of tourists from around Australia and the world every year. Holidaymakers flock to the area to dive, snorkel and soak up the sun, however many may be oblivious to the quiet national crisis lurking within arm's reach.
The country's aquatic pollution — from microplastics washing up on shore to discarded fishing gear entangling marine animals — is escalating, with a recent 209kg haul highlighting the pressure it is placing on the iconic Queensland destination.
Last week, volunteers for Eco Barge Clean Seas, a non-profit based in Airlie Beach, removed the staggering amount of rubbish from Mackerel Bay on Hook Island. A second trip carried out a few days later resulted in the collection of another 167kg of marine debris.
'We've got 40 to 45 known hotspot beaches within the Whitsunday Islands, and they're all on southeast facing bays,' Eco Barge founder Libby Edge told Yahoo News. Due to their location, pollution — mainly plastic — is constantly washing up in the select coves thanks to strong winds.
The most common item collected is 'hard bits of plastic' that have broken off from larger items, and hundreds of thousands of bottle top lids, Edge said. 'We average around about 40 trips a year, and that's us staying on top of newly arriving marine debris coming to the Whitsunday Islands,' she explained.
Despite an increase in awareness around the growing issue since she founded the organisation in 2009, Edge said she hasn't seen 'much of a change' over the years.
In that timeframe, with the help of 13,000 volunteers, the group hit a milestone figure this week, collecting a total of 300,000kg of rubbish — just in time for World Environment Day on Thursday.
'It's been a very hard journey, but very rewarding,' Edge told Yahoo. 'I wanted people like me to really feel that effect of what we do on land, affects our ocean and our marine life.'
For many Aussies, the issue is 'out of sight, out of mind', she continued. 'It's in the middle of the ocean. You don't see the plastic and the horrific impact it's having on our marine life.'
However, that doesn't mean it isn't happening.
In 2013, Edge noticed turtles living in the reefs were struggling after repeated cyclones wiped out a lot of their food source, prompting her to launch the Whitsunday Turtle Rescue Centre, which has since cared for 272 animals.
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Now she's encouraging Aussies to do their part when wandering along a beach or river. 'When you go to the beach as an individual, you really can get despondent… but at one point, someone held that plastic item and didn't dispose of it correctly — it shouldn't be in the ocean,' Edge said.
Wherever rubbish is dumped, there's a high chance it will inevitably enter the ocean.
'So even if it's not your trash, pick it up, because you do not want Mother Nature ingesting it, and entangling in it,' she added. 'It's human produced plastic. Let's dispose of it correctly. It doesn't have to be your plastic. Just do your bit every day.'
Eco Barge Clean Seas partnered with Coca Cola Australia in 2018, but Edge said the non-profit is always open to other organisations and volunteers who want to help out.
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