The big beach clean-up

28 February 2008

Contact: Conservation Advocate Kirstie Knowles, 04 801 2210, 021 426 984

What:  The big beach clean-up for Seaweek

Where:  Oriental Bay, Wellington (starts at the sea mural by Freyberg Pool)

When:  Monday, March 3 at 8am

Forest & Bird is holding a big beach clean-up in Wellington on Monday to mark Seaweek and raise awareness of the harm that litter can cause in the marine environment.

Conservation Advocate Kirstie Knowles says careless disposal of rubbish can cause serious damage to the marine environment and marine life.

“The big beach clean-up will raise people’s awareness of just how much rubbish is going into our marine environment – and what they can do to help.  Wellingtonians love their beautiful harbour and the last thing they want is to see it used as a rubbish dump.”

With the help of Wellington City Council, Forest & Bird volunteers (some dressed as sea creatures) will clean up rubbish along Oriental Bay.  Afterwards the rubbish will be sorted out to record what kinds of litter are ending up in the harbour.  This information will then be used by local schools, whose students are studying the effects of litter and pollution on the marine environment.

Minister for the Environment Trevor Mallard will also lend a hand in the clean-up from 8am.

WHAT HARM DOES RUBBISH CAUSE TO MARINE LIFE?

Entanglement.  Many marine creatures are killed after becoming entangled in rubbish.  More than 140 species of marine animals, including seals, whales, dolphins and seabirds, have been reported entangled in marine litter.

Ingestion.  Ingestion of plastic can lead to dehydration, choking, starvation, poisoning, internal damage and deaths of a variety of marine animals – from sea turtles to seabirds – which mistake pieces of plastic for food.

Smothering.  When litter settles on the sea floor it can smother animals that live there by blocking out light and nutrients.

HOW LONG DOES RUBBISH REMAIN IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT?

Orange peel – 2 years
Cigarette butts – 1-5 years
Plastic bags – 20-50 years
Tin cans – 50 years
Aluminium cans – 80-100 years
Plastic bottles – 250 years
Glass – I million years

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

• Be careful about how you dispose of litter – put it in rubbish bins or take it home to dispose of or recycle.
• Don’t discard used fishing gear, such as lines and nets, in or near the sea.
• Reduce the amount of litter you produce in the first place, especially plastic and Styrofoam.  Take re-usable shopping bags instead of accepting plastic bags at the supermarket.
• Recycle as much of your rubbish as possible.
• Don’t put waste substances, such as paint, oil and detergent, down drains – it will end up in the sea where it can harm marine life.
• Join a beach clean-up, and get your friends and community involved.  You could even “adopt” a piece of coastline and regularly hold clean-up days.