AMDI Network

AMDI Network

Australian Marine Debris Initiative Information Page

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.

The Australian Marine Debris Initiative includes:

  • Marine debris and beach clean up events
  • On-going marine debris monitoring programs
  • Presentations on the marine debris issue
  • Workshops on mitigation strategies on marine debris
  • The Australian Marine Debris Database
  • Educational resources and clean up materials

If you are interested in joining the Australian Marine Debris Initiative or finding out more send us an email to info@tangaroablue.org

NETWORK NEWS

 

Registration now open for the 2020 WA Beach Clean-up

Carmen Torraca

Calling all ocean lovers – the 2020 WA Beach Clean-up event registration is now open!

Now in its 16th year, this special event in the Tangaroa Blue Foundation calendar is open for registration and seeking your assistance.

If you are a keen citizen scientist, a school or community group, part of a family or workplace team or just love the ocean and want to help out, we need you for the WA Beach Clean-up!

Last year, over 1,000 volunteers from families, community, school and business groups registered to participate. These included one-person clean-ups to large groups of all ages at 110 sites across the State, from the remote Banjal Beach in the north Kimberley to Kanidal Beach on the South Coast.

Can you help us make 2020 our biggest event ever?

It costs nothing to participate and all materials, volunteer insurance, and logistical support is provided.

Register now and get involved – just follow these four easy steps:

Step 1: Choose a favourite beach, river, or waterway that needs a clean-up and register your site by clicking here.

Step 2: Enlist your friends, family or workmates to help for a few hours at your clean-up site sometime over the October 10-11 weekend.

Step 3: Await your clean-up and data recording kit delivery (late September – early October) and follow the advice to get your team ready for action!

Step 4: On the day, collect and audit marine debris, record data for upload later or use the AMDI data app to record directly into the Tangaroa Blue Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database.

Contact: Maureen Maher 0429 378 379   E: wabcu@tangaroablue.org

Educating for Sustainability in Queensland Schools

Carmen Torraca

The Sustainable Schools Network (SSN) advocates for more Educating for Sustainability (EfS) curriculum in Queensland schools. To further this effort, they have curated a Discussion Paper that we’d like to share with you. Your feedback will help shape their message to government officials. We hope this is the start of building a state-based strategy for EfS in Queensland. Please download the Discussion Paper here.

Their website features a number of ‘calls to action’ that the community can engage in https://www.ssn.org.au/discussion-paper, along with a petition that will be presented to State Government: https://www.ssn.org.au/efs-petition-1.

The SSN has also produced a summary document of election recommendations. This can be downloaded here.

We appreciate your support. For more information, please visit www.ssn.org.au.

Industrial-spill-of-plastic-resin-pellets

Engaging community, industry and government to reduce plastic resin pellets flowing into Port Phillip Bay

Caroline Laux

During July 2018 to June 2020, Tangaroa Blue Foundation staff conducted surveys of plastic resin pellet (PRP) ratings at various points between plastics industry facilities and Port Phillip Bay in Victoria as part of the Operation Clean Sweep® program. These surveys built a picture of pellet loss from point sources at plastics industry facilities across seventeen local council areas, through the environment and into the bay. Read more “Engaging community, industry and government to reduce plastic resin pellets flowing into Port Phillip Bay”

Bretts wharf

Bretts Wharf, Hamilton, Brisbane City site clean-up

Caroline Laux

Located on the Northern side of the Brisbane River, Bretts Wharf serves the Brisbane suburb of Hamilton. A 150m stretch of river bank was cleaned up by Tangaroa Blue Foundation staff in June 2020 over a 5-day period at low tide, for 1.5 hours each day. The team collected close to 4,000 items with all rubbish collected recorded according to material type and density. The site was then re-examined a few days after the clean-ups to assess the volume of debris post site clean-up. Read the full report to find out more about the positive correlation that was observed between rainfall events, tide levels and overall quantities of debris washed ashore. Read more “Bretts Wharf, Hamilton, Brisbane City site clean-up”

NSW – Shipping container debris washes ashore

Carmen Torraca

Eurobodalla Shire Council Media Alert

Southeast swells have brought more than crashing waves to Eurobodalla’s coastline, as takeaway containers and facemasks wash onto the shire’s beaches.

Eurobodalla Council’s manager of environmental services Deb Lenson said these were the first deposits to reach Eurobodalla following a shipping container spill in May.

“The APL England lost 50 shipping containers into the sea while en route to Melbourne,” Ms. Lenson said.

The Tangaroa Blue Foundation has been tracking the spilled debris since the containers were lost. Council’s environmental education officer Bernadette Davis said items like plastic takeaway containers and unused facemasks had begun washing ashore yesterday. Read more “NSW – Shipping container debris washes ashore”

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