On the 8th January, the Mornington Peninsula community once again came together to talk trash and clean up the local Rye beach area as part of the second Seaside Scavenge Festival held in Victoria.
Teaming up with Tangaroa Blue were the Sorrento Water Towers crew, a local group passionate about the ocean and dedicated to raising awareness about plastic pollution, connecting like-minded people and working towards changing our disposable plastic culture.
Rubbish collected on the day was given a new value, becoming currency that allowed volunteers to trade the trash they collected for second-hand clothing that had been generously donated by members of the local community.
People of all ages were able to get involved in the clean-up above and below the water, stay and listen to live music and guest speakers, watch screenings of documentaries and partake in a range of workshops that ran throughout the day. The event was supported by many local businesses and various organisations, with many prizes donated for those volunteers who went the extra mile. Prizes were awarded to the eco warriors who collected the most rubbish, sieved for micro plastics, created the most beautiful art sculptures and partook in a choice of other trash related challenges.
While the scene at the beginning of the day was disheartening, with local bins overflowing and discarded rubbish to be seen everywhere, by the end of the day spirits were high and 668kgs of trash had been removed from the beach and surrounding park land! A huge thank you to everyone who was involved in making the festival such a success. We are already looking forward to next year!
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