Pic: Ula Majewski
_.jpg "Team Clean's record haul of rubbish 11")
Pic: Dayna Trevaskis
_.jpg "Team Clean's record haul of rubbish 12")
Pic: Jess Leitmanis
Pic: Jess Leitmanis
Team Clean sailed into Hobart last week after removing a record 79,084 pieces of rubbish from remote beaches in Tasmania’s World Heritage Area.
“Team Clean sailed into Hobart with a record-breaking 79,084 pieces of marine debris. We’ve been working hard on the wild west coast to fight the plastic wave of rubbish that’s trashing our most spectacular beaches,” said clean up coordinator Matt Dell.
“Marine debris is a critical global issue that must be addressed urgently. The fact that we’re seeing over seventy five thousand pieces of trash washing up on one of the world’s most inaccessible and remote coastlines is a glaring reminder of the need for serious action,” said Mr Dell.
The South West Marine Debris Clean Up embarked on its annual expedition last Wednesday (Mar 11). A hardy team of 30 volunteers and four local fishing boats have spent the past week cleaning some of Tasmania’s most isolated beaches.
• Watch Michael Atkin’s 7.30 report, read the transcript
• Steve, in Comments: Amazing stuff. I recently watched “North of the Sun” which gives a perspective from another part of the globe. The saddest thing about all these volunteer clean-ups, is the complete absence of any Government help. Given the importance of our clean image, you’d think they’d be at the forefront but, as usual, nowhere to be seen. Volunteers can only scratch the surface. A properly funded program could make a real impact and also follow up with measures to tackle the problem at it’s source.
