Beach litter will be the target of a clean-up at Mullaloo Beach on Monday June 8 as part of World Oceans Day.
World Oceans Day involves youth and partner organisations in more than 140 countries. It was recognised by the United Nations in 2008 and supports worldwide sustainability goals as well as fostering public interest and support for our oceans.
On World Oceans Day volunteers from Keep Australia Beautiful Western Australia will be picking up beach litter, which will be the subject of a litter audit to determine what type of waste is ending up on our beaches.
Marine litter kills and injures marine life and can lead to great economic cost to communities worldwide. Wildlife can eat or become entangled in marine debris; it can smother seabeds and is increasingly believed to be a source of toxic substances in the marine environment. Debris on beaches such as broken glass can also injure beachgoers and floating debris can be a hazard to boats.
The Mullaloo Beach clean-up audit information will go into the Australian Marine Debris Initiative database, which compiles litter data from all around Australia to help track litter to its source and prevent it from entering the environment and harming marine life.
The Keep Australia Beautiful WA team will be at Mullaloo Beach between 12-2pm on Monday June 8. Due to COVID-19 social distancing measures, the clean-up will not be a public event this year.
As stated by Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
“Beach litter is not just unsightly. It kills and injures marine life and can injure beachgoers. Plastics in particular can break down into microplastics – which are being increasingly recognised as a health concern for both marine animals and humans.
“This clean-up will not only remove litter from a popular Perth beach; the litter will be audited, and that data will be used to increase our knowledge of the origins of beach waste.
“I would encourage everyone to “Take 3* for the sea”: take three pieces of rubbish with you when you leave the beach and you can make a difference. If we made a small change it would go a long way to making our beautiful WA beaches even more pristine.”
*Take 3 is a clean beach initiative committed to removing plastic pollution from the environment. It was founded on the premise that simple actions can produce profound consequences.
