School children throughout Western Australia have led the charge in Tangaroa Blue Foundation’s 2022 WA Beach Clean-up with a 350% increase in students and school participation.
2022 has proven to be the most successful WA Beach Clean-Up in recent years, with more than 1400 volunteers cleaning 140 kilometers of West Australian coastline, removing over 5 tonnes of marine debris. In its 18th year, it is one of the largest people-powered clean-ups on the west coast and provides a snapshot of the density and diversity of marine debris being found across WA’s coastline and waterways.
Project Coordinator Casey Woodward says, “We received overwhelming support this year from a range of schools, families, community groups, NRMs and Government Departments. Seeing a 350% increase in school participation this year is wonderful as our citizen science approach to marine debris is curriculum aligned and the perfect excursion activity to get the kids engaged and inspired about protecting the environment.”
“It was also wonderful to see more registered clean-ups not only on beaches but on rivers and other waterways like drainage lines. This information provides a more balanced picture of debris hot-spot areas and stops litter flowing into the ocean,” Woodward says.
The WA Beach Clean-up is an annual event hosted by Tangaroa Blue Foundation and proudly sponsored by Keep Australia Beautiful WA and Tallwood Custom Built Homes.
The data collected from each clean-up will join over 22 million pieces of marine debris already recorded in the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database and allows Tangaroa Blue to analyse debris trends over time which in turn helps support targeted Source Reduction Plans.
Author: Casey Woodward, WA Project Coordinator, Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
Feature Image: Students from Cervantes Primary School removed 25 kilograms of rubbish from Catalonia Park Foreshore for the WA Beach Clean-Up. Photo Credit: Tangaroa Blue Foundation.