More than 1,500 kg of rubbish has been collected from the Burnett River as part of the Ocean Crusaders latest three-day clean up effort in Bundaberg.
Last week, the not-for-profit organisation and local volunteers got their hands dirty as they sorted through waste entrapped in local mangroves and waterways.
Ocean Crusaders’ Gemma Ross said the crew were contracted by Bundaberg Regional Council and each clean-up mission in the region resulted in enormous amounts of rubbish removal.
“Our average rubbish intake is 400 to 500 kilograms a day,” she said.
“We find anything and everything.
“The majority is town washup, inclusive of take-away containers, single-use plastics, cans, bottles, bait bags – lots of little stuff.
“We also get some big items like today we have a couch on the boat.”
The team visit Bundaberg over a few days each month as part of Bundaberg Regional Council’s Waterways Rubbish Removal program that aims to reduce land-based runoff and protect the Great Barrier Reef.
The total amount of rubbish collected for this year, from January to June, equates to 11,380kg.
Ocean Crusaders’ most recent mission included:
Day 1: 500kg of rubbish removed from Kirby’s Wall to Paddy Island, including couch cushions, tyres, a trolley, boat bits, fishing gear, bait bags, micro and macro plastics, farm dump equipment, polystyrene fragments and more.
Day 2: 600kg of rubbish removed including eight tyres, one shopping trolley, one couch, one inflatable dingy, one sailing mast, abandoned camping gear, buckets and more.
Day 3: 420kg rubbish from McGills Road banks to Bundaberg Creek including trolleys, seven tyres, six crab pots, camping gear and helmets.
Gemma said the work of Ocean Crusaders was important in not only supporting the health of local waterways but also educating people on why rubbish was so detrimental to the surrounding environment.
“Bundaberg is a river town so it is essential we keep it clean,” she said.
“It feeds directly out to our southern Great Barrier Reef and everything in it has an impact on our wildlife.”
As a not-for-profit organisation, Gemma said Ocean Crusaders could not complete each clean-up mission without the help of the community.
She said on this trip there were five local volunteers who gave their time.
“We rely on sponsors, donors and contracts and we also rely heavily on volunteers,” she said.
“Most volunteers are blown away when they come out with us.
“People don’t realise how much rubbish there is out there, it all gets stuck in the mangrove systems and in places that people don’t usually see.”
Gemma said for those keen to help with the next clean up, spots were available with bookings to be made via the ocean Crusaders Eventbrite page here.
The work of Ocean Crusaders is part of Bundaberg Regional Council’s Waterways Rubbish Removal program, funded by the Reef Authority.
Council is proud to be a Reef Guardian Council – an initiative of the Reef Authority –delivering real outcomes for the Great Barrier Reef.
Funding for this project has been provided from the Australian Government to enable Reef Guardian Councils to deliver projects and activities identified in their Reef Action Plans.
