Grand response to coastal clean up call

10th March 2010

More than 1000 volunteers have combed the west coast of Aotea/Great Barrier Island to remove rubbish that blows ashore from Auckland.

The coastal clean-up featured as The Aucklander's cover story last week and the response was overwhelming with places for volunteers filled within days.

This year, volunteers removed 29,000 litres of rubbish from the same stretches of coastline where over 700 people took 2.8 tonnes last year.

Key organisers from the charity Sustainable Coastlines says the muster of trash and debris proves there is a constant stream of rubbish escaping the Auckland metropolitan area - largely through stormwater drains - and blowing across the Hauraki Gulf in the prevailing sou-west winds.

Charity co-founder Sam Judd is organising the transport of the waste back to Auckland, to conduct a comprehensive audit which will be cross-referenced against results from last year.

"While it was sad to see how much had turned up within one year's time on the same coastlines that we cleaned one year ago, our volunteers got stuck in, worked with an incredible bunch of Barrier locals and everyone had a blast."

Last Friday, March 5, 400 children from the low-decile schools of the Auckland region, went out to the island aboard the Fuller's Ferries Superflyte boat, to work with local schools on a cleanup of Tryphena Harbour - a day that Sustainable Coastlines coordinated with the Sir Peter Blake Trust's Care for Our Coast programme.

On Saturday, 250 volunteers went across in challenging seas aboard the Jet Raider, joined up with hoards of locals into 36 teams (with 25 private boats and 55 kayaks) to remove debris from the beaches that face the stormwater drains of Auckland City.

After an impressive array of results last year, these projects are getting popular - tickets sold out a week before the event, so more people went aboard the discounted Sealink Ferry, or took private boats from Auckland in a rally organised by Burnsco Marine.

The crew all worked together for the same cause and everyone enjoyed what they collectively achieved.

"It was great to see," says Judd, "that highly motivated people came out here, challenging themselves in tough weather conditions and everyone got stuck in. The teamwork was inspirational - no one complained and we all learned much about marine debris."

The event was made possible with support from: Fuller's Ferries, Burnsco Marine, Sealink Travel Group, Reef Shipping, The Hilton Auckland, Sanfords Sustainable Seafoods, Auckland Regional Council, Auckland City Council, The Waitemata Harbour Cleanup Trust, Smart Environmental, Benefitz Printing, Water in a Box, The Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre, Arnette Sunglasses, Greenworks, Hydrosurf and many local Great Barrier businesses, community groups and individuals made the event possible.

For more info, visit: www.sustainablecoastlines.org