Tangaroa Blue Foundation representatives, 11 volunteers, rangers from Kuuku Ya’u Aboriginal Corporation team and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service staff removed two-and-a-half tonnes of rubbish from Chilli Beach on eastern Cape York from 27 July-2 August. Photo: Supplied.
The 2024 clean-up of Cape York beaches has continued as a group of volunteers collected two-and-a-half tonnes of marine debris from must-visit Chilli Beach from 27 July-2 August.
The clean-up effort was co-ordinated by the Tangaroa Blue Foundation in collaboration with the Kuuku Ya’u and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service staff, with 11 eager volunteers donating their time to help rid the beach of rubbish.
A Tangaroa Blue spokesperson said the group had removed a “staggering” amount of debris, adding some of which would be repurposed for the organisation’s Project ReCon.
The project utilises smart buoys to tag ghost nets and other fishing gear in the ocean and track it via GPS until it can be removed.
“Among numerous bottle caps, thongs and plastic bottles was a significant amount of lost fishing gear, including several large nets, a [fish aggregating device] and six GPS tracker buoys,” the spokesperson said.
“Tangaroa Blue Foundation will repurpose these tracker buoys to help locate and recover ghost nets as part of Project ReCon.”
The bumper haul of rubbish adds to the two tonnes collected at Mapoon in July, during which volunteers found a number of curiosities in the rubbish, including a cordial bottle from the 1970s and a commemorative beer can from the 2000 Birdsville Cup.
The spokesperson said the clean-up was made possible with funding support from the Federal Government’s Reef Trust and through collaboration with local organisations and volunteers.
“A special thanks goes out to The Greenhoose Cape York for providing amazing meals to keep the team going throughout the week,” they said.
The next clean-up will be at Captain Billy Landing from 2-4 September before attention is turned to western Cape York and Pennefather Beach from 16-27 September.
Captain Billy Landing is located on the eastern Cape York coast in the Heathlands Resources Reserve within Jardine River National Park.
To volunteer with Tangaroa Blue on a clean-up operation, email [email protected].
Volunteers celebrate the successful clean-up of Chilli Beach after a week-long effort to remove tonnes of marine debris from the must-visit Cape York spot. Photo: Supplied.
