ECO BARGE INVITE THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY TO GET INVOLVED
As part of the Great Barrier Reef Clean-up, Eco Barge is undertaking two land-based clean-ups to ensure that our marine life and environment are not impacted by local rubbish
October 2015
The focus of Operation Clean Seas, which is being run as part of the Australian Government’s Great Barrier Reef Clean-up, is to have Our Community Cleaning Together for the entire month of October.
Eco Barge has therefore been encouraging everyone to dedicate a few minutes to cleaning up ‘their’ patch of the Whitsundays.
Jacki Smith, Project Coordinator of Eco Barge said “Whether it is individuals cleaning their closest foreshore, businesses cleaning their street or those out undertaking fishing or boating activities going to an island to remove marine debris – every piece of marine debris or land-based litter that is removed is important as it is one less item that can impact our precious marine life through entanglement or ingestion.”
As part of this initiative Eco Barge will be undertaking two land-based clean-ups in October and is a part of over 12 clean-ups occurring along the Great Barrier Reef coast, as a coordinated effort on marine debris for the Australian Government’s Great Barrier Reef Clean-up.
The first clean-up will be run on Saturday 24th October, in conjunction with Cruise Whitsundays, and will focus on removing litter from the Airlie Beach foreshore to the Port of Airlie Marina. Meeting points will be set-up at the Airlie Beach foreshore and the Cruise Whitsundays terminal, and volunteers should meet at either location to register at 8am. A free thank you BBQ will then be provided for everyone that was involved at the Airlie Beach Markets from 10am.
The second clean-up will be run on the Saturday 31st October, in conjunction with Coral Sea Marina Resort, and will target from Cannonvale Beach to Coral Seas Resort. Meeting points will be set-up at Cannonvale Beach and the Abell Point South Marina at 9am, and volunteers should meet at either location to register at 9am. A free BBQ to thank everyone for their participation will then be provided at Shingley Beach from 11am.
Libby Edge, Founding Chair of Eco Barge said “These clean-ups only go for a couple of hours, and are therefore a perfect opportunity for families to get involved. We are therefore hoping as much of the community as possible is able to come to one of these clean-ups and have some fun cleaning our local coastline together”.
The Great Barrier Reef Clean-up is delivered by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority with funding through Reef Trust and in partnership with the Australian Marine Debris Initiative, Tangaroa Blue Foundation, Eco Barge and local Reef Guardian Councils.