A newly formed group aims to rid the East Coast of litter and marine debris.
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The inaugural Great Eastern Clean Up took place throughout October, targeting litter and marine debris from Buckland through to Bicheno.
It was the biggest collaborative clean-up the East Coast had ever seen.
Great Eastern Clean Up coordinator and Glamorgan Spring Bay Council sustainability officer Cynthia Maxwell-Smith said the Glamorgan Spring Bay Marine Debris Working Group began in May 2018.
“Glamorgan Spring Bay Council NRM committee [has] been concerned about marine debris, littering and illegal rubbish dumping for years,” she said.
The committee comprised of representatives from the council, community groups, individuals, and local businesses and associations.
“One of the things we were concerned about was that there are always a few individuals and community groups who tend to pick up rubbish all the time.
“As much as their efforts are hugely appreciated it didn't seem right for just a few to take responsibility for cleaning up everyone's mess.
“So that was the first question - how can we get everyone involved? Imagine what a difference that would make.”
Ms Maxwell-Smith said another motivator was that every time they do a clean up, they tended to find similar items.
“Sometimes we can identify where the rubbish is coming from,” she said.
“It might be a local business, like a particular takeaway or something associated with recreational or commercial fishing.
“The idea is not to judge but to investigate. It might not be the businesses fault or there might be an easy solution but we will never know unless we analyse the litter.
“As well as picking up loads of litter we will be sorting and analysing what we found and from where with the aim of creating source reduction strategies.”
On October 31, the litter will be sorted and counted with the aim to display it for the community to see.
The clean up will culminate with an after party on November 3 at the Eastcoaster Resort at Orford.
The free-entry, zero waste event aims to thank volunteers for their hard work, with music provided by Boogieman and the Pete Cornelius Band. It will run from 11am to 3pm.
Ms Maxwell-Smith said some of the litter would be displayed at the party.
“After that it will be moved to a location visible from the highway in Triabunna,” she said.
- More information about the Great Eastern Clean Up is available on the event’s Facebook page.