Over 100 Whitsunday locals participated in Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday, collecting litter from both land and sea to contribute to keeping our local environment cleaner for all to enjoy.
The official Clean Up Day in the Whitsundays was hosted by Coral Sea Marina and organisers were thrilled to see such a big turnout.
“We were thrilled to see an incredible number of volunteers, including so many families and children, who braved the heat and joined us this Clean Up Australia Day to pick up litter,” said Joscelyn O’Keefe, Head of Marketing and Business Development.
“It proved once again that Clean Up Australia Day is a fantastic opportunity for the local community to band together and collectively work towards protecting our beautiful backyard.”
Much of the on-land litter consisted of soft plastics and cigarettes, but other items included food containers, fishing nets and even a swag.
Local charter company Whitsunday Escape led the sea component of Clean Up Day, taking 30 family and friends out to Double Cone Island on two vessels.
They collected an impressive 250kg in one morning and items included toothbrushes, thongs, lighters and bottle tops.
Their message to the community is to be mindful of what goes overboard while sailing as, despite the islands looking clean from the distance, a lot of litter is washed up with the tides.
Tangaroa Blue/Reef Clean will now audit the collected litter and record findings in the Australian Marine Debris database.
