The Australian Marine Debris Initiative is a network of communities, schools, industries, government agencies and individuals focused on reducing the amount of marine debris washing into our oceans.
On every beach around Australia you will find some form of marine debris, from litter left by visitors to international debris, to ghost nets or rubbish washed from far inland through stormwater drains.
The statistics are horrifying with the United Nationals' Regional Seas Program estimating more than 18,000 pieces of plastic in each square kilometre of ocean; and other research estimating more than 8 million tonnes of debris entering the world's oceans each year. The majority of this marine debris is plastic, which due to its chemical makeup is a long lasting material. Plastics, once released into the environment, never biodegrade, instead photodegrading breaking into smaller and smaller pieces of the original item, forever remaining in the environment.
The Australian Marine Debris Initiative is a way that everyone can become involved in both the removal of marine debris and finding solutions to stop the flow of rubbish into our oceans.
Have you got an AMDI Database question?
Our Database Team is always happy to answer queries and general questions regarding the AMDI App and Database. In this article, we’ll shine a spotlight on some of the more frequently asked questions to streamline your database entry process.
The AMDI Database passes the 17 million item milestone as litter continues to flood into Australian waterways
Tangaroa Blue Foundation and AMDI partners have identified and removed a staggering 17 million items of litter from oceans and waterways around Australia through community clean-ups over the last 16 years.
From cigarette butts to fishing litter, single-use plastics dominate the 17 million items the marine debris organisation has recorded in the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database. Read more “17 million messages”
This year’s WA Beach Clean-up saw over 80 groups adopt a coastal or estuarine site across the State, engaging 783 volunteers in local action. The clean-ups ranged from small one-person clean-ups to big ones like the 70 awesome people who took part in the South Beach clean-up, pictured above.
Tangaroa Blue and AMDI partners are so very close to removing and identifying a staggering 17 million items of litter from oceans and waterways around Australia through community clean-ups over the last 16 years, and we couldn’t have done it without you all!
Read more “17 Million Pieces – A Tribute to Heidi and all of YOU!”
Eurobodalla Shire Council Media Release
Sparing Snapper’s penguins from snaring plastics
Marine debris is a worldwide problem, with street litter washing into gutters and drains to pollute rivers and oceans. Closer to home, rubbish in the Clyde estuary is posing entanglement risks to the little penguins that live there.
Read more “Sparing Snapper’s penguins from snaring plastics”
