Stef Barney

Rig Recycle Seeks to Reel In Victoria Fishing Litter

Stef Barney
  • Victorian fishers can now recycle their unwanted and broken fishing tackle.
  • Tangaroa Blue’s Rig Recycle Program collects fishing line, reels, sinkers, spools and spool packaging so it can be repaired, reused and recycled.
  • The program is supported by Sustainability Victoria’s Circular Economy Fund and will see 60 recycling bins deployed at key locations across the state.
  • The Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database shows fishing litter is one of the top 10 items recovered during community clean-ups.   

Read more “Rig Recycle Seeks to Reel In Victoria Fishing Litter”

Stef Barney

Ditch the Flick comes to the City of Wyndham

Stef Barney
Tangaroa Blue Foundation is joining forces with the City of Wyndham to launch this campaign which aims to encourage behavioural change in cigarette butt disposal amongst the local smoking population.
 
Litter data collected from 23 stormwater drains across the City of Wyndham during the Let’s Strain the Drain Project was recorded in the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database. The data identified cigarette butts as a main litter source and provided evidence for a source reduction plan.
 
Given the success of ‘Ditch the Flick’ campaigns in other locations, the City of Wyndham decided to implement this source reduction plan to address their cigarette butt litter.
 
Let's Strain the Drains April 2022
Stef Barney

Data from Let’s Strain the Drains project used in Scientific Paper

Stef Barney

In October 2019, we completed our first round of audits to show the types of litter entering stormwater drains and ultimately Port Phillip Bay from 4 different land use types (shopping centres, industrial areas, CBD areas and transport hubs).

Little did we know, that right in the middle of our 8 audits the COVID pandemic would hit and provide us with the unique opportunity to assess the impact of lockdowns on the environment.

The Let’s Strain the Drains project was funded by the Victorian State Government and delivered by Tangaroa Blue Foundation, Cleanwater Group and Sustainability Victoria with support from the Cities of Wyndham, Hobsons Bay, Moreland, Kingston, Maribyrnong and Greater Dandenong.

Many thanks to 100+ Tangaroa Blue Foundation volunteers who assisted in the auditing of the stormwater traps!

This research paper was led by Brie Sherow.

Read full paper here

Ian Anderson Rubber Crumb
Stef Barney

The Dangers of Playground Rubber Surfaces

Stef Barney

The momentum is building with another council agreeing with our rubber crumb assessment report that recycling tyres into soft fall rubber crumb is not fit-for-purpose for children’s play areas.

ABC News has written a great article talking about these dangers.
You can read the full article here

This comes on the back of the release of the Tangaroa Blue Rubber Impact Report 2021 and the ReefClean AUSMAP Rubber Crumb Loss Report 2021 which highlighted the extent of rubber crumb loss at parks along the Great Barrier Reef.

Ocean Plastic Products - are they credible or just greenwashing?
Stef Barney

Ocean Plastic Products – Credible or greenwashing? Watch the Q&A Panel Discussion

Stef Barney

Over the last few years, a variety of products claiming to be made of “ocean plastic” or “ocean bound plastic” or “potential ocean bound plastic” have started to appear on supermarket shelves and online stores.

The messaging appears to claim that we’ve solved the plastic marine pollution issue, including what to do with plastics recovered from our oceans. But misleading labelling on some products and marketing campaigns is causing consumer confusion.

This Q&A panel discussion unpacks the myths, truths and possibilities for recycling plastics recovered from our oceans with experts from the Environmental Defenders Office, the plastics industry and the NGO sector.

Our panel:

Heidi Tait – CEO, Tangaroa Blue Foundation
Kirsty Ruddock – Managing Lawyer, Safe Climate – Environmental Defenders Office
Brett Tait – Project Manager, Operation Clean Sweep
Royston Kent – CEO – BC Plastics
Warwick Hall – Vice President – Australasian Bioplastics Association Inc

You can watch the entire discussion below and hear from industry experts on the topic.

 

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