Marine Debris Free Oceans

Marine debris (or marine litter) is defined as any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment.

Our Goal

This initiative brings together the efforts of volunteers and the community to keep beaches and waterways clean and safe for marine life while collecting data for national analysis.

Marine Debris

What is Marine Debris?

  • Marine debris includes consumer items such as glass or plastic bottles, cans, bags, balloons, rubber, metal, fiberglass, cigarettes and other manufactured materials that end up in the ocean and along the coast.

  • It also includes fishing gear such as line, ropes, hooks, buoys and other materials lost on or near land, or intentionally or unintentionally discarded at sea.

  • Marine debris is globally recognized as an environmental concern. It is a danger to all marine life including birds, sharks, turtles and marine mammals, causing injury or death through drowning, entanglement, or starvation following ingestion.

 

MARINE DEBRIS IS CHOKING OUR OCEANS, CREATING A DEVASTATING IMPACT ON MARINE ECOSYSTEMS WORLDWIDE.

Marine debris is harmful to marine life and can have catastrophic and often fatal results.  It can cause injury or death through drowning, entanglement or starvation following ingestion.

We can’t do this alone. Join us to protect and conserve our marine environment, preventing and removing the unprecedented amount of marine debris entering our oceans and waterways.

Sea Turtles and other marine creatures are known to confuse balloons as jellies

#BALLOONSBLOW

Beach litter surveys have shown the amount of balloons and balloon pieces found on the beach have tripled in the past 10 years. 

200 years for plastic straws to breakdown

#STOPSUCKING

Plastic straws end up in the ocean primarily through human error, and an estimated 71% of seabirds and 30% of turtles have been found with plastics in their stomachs.

4.5 trillion cigarette butts

#BUTTSSTINK

Cigarette filters within cigarette butts are made from a type of plastic called cellulose acetate which doesn’t biodegrade.

Plastic bottles can take up to 450 years to breakdown

#USELESSUTENSILS

It’s no secret that the hospitality sector is one of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution globally, and we think all of those plastic utensils that they give away are pretty useless! 

BECOME A DEBRIS WARRIOR

We organise beach and ocean clean ups to help remove debris from our oceans.

If you’re interested in participating on the next event, get in touch with our team today.