19 August 2020

Logging beach clean-ups with Tangaroa Blue

| Sharon Kelley
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Mark Shorter kneeling on patio with beach rubbish items.

Eurobodalla Shire Council’s sustainability coordinator Mark Shorter with rubbish items washed ashore on the NSW South Coast. Photo: Supplied.

Eurobodalla Shire Council is reminding residents to log their beach finds on Tangaroa Blue’s national database as debris continues to wash up on local beaches.

Council’s sustainability coordinator, Mark Shorter, said items from a shipping container spill in May are continuing to wash ashore.

“The APL England lost 50 shipping containers into the sea while en route to Melbourne and we’re seeing more and more takeaway containers, meat trays, face masks and small bits of plastic wash up locally,” he said.

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“The Tangaroa Blue Foundation has been tracking the spill debris since the containers were lost. It’s vital to remove these items but so important to record what is found.

“All you need to do is enter the details into the Australian Marine Debris Database, an easy-to-use phone app. This helps with tracking where waste is coming from, with the aim to try and stop it from the source where we can.”

Council has also received reports of fire and flood debris again washing onto local beaches, with there being requests for clean-ups. Council does not remove natural matter from local beaches, but instead lets nature take its course over time.

READ ALSO Shipping debris from APL England spotted off Glasshouse Rocks

For more information on the Australian Marine Debris Initiative and to download the app, visit the Eurobodalla Shire Council’s website.

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