Tasman Bay beach clean clears 7.5 tonnes of rubbish

November 8th, 2011
[DOC press relese]

A big community effort has cleared 7.5 tonnes of rubbish from Tasman Bay beaches. Around 540 people took part in the in the Tasman Bay Big Beach Clean-up held on Saturday 19 November for the second year. They collected rubbish from 295 kilometres of coast from Abel Tasman National Park to Cable Bay.

Department of Conservation Community Relations Programme Manager Rudy Tetteroo expressed a big thank you to the beach-cleaning volunteers on behalf of event organisers DOC, Tasman District Council, Nelson City Council and NELMAC Ltd.

"We have had a fantastic response from the community again this year in enthusiastically getting involved in this spring coastal clean-up. It's great to see so many people caring for our beautiful beaches.

"Beach-cleaning volunteers found less rubbish than last year, when 10.4 tonnes was collected, but still found plenty of litter on coast alongside main roads. This serves as reminder not to throw rubbish from vehicles.

"Cleaner beaches will make them more enjoyable for the thousands of locals and holidaymakers who will be making the most of sand, sea and sun this summer. It also helps to make our coasts safer for wildlife for which our litter can be lethal."

Rubbish removed included plastic, bottles, bits of glass, old tyres, plastic bale wrap and even an old catamaran.

Rudy encouraged an ongoing effort from everyone to keep our shores and sea litter-free. "Anything taken to the beach or out on the sea should be taken away again and rubbish carefully and appropriately disposed of."

DOC thanks Motueka New World for its support to the event. Thanks also go to NELMAC Ltd for their help with traffic management plans for coastal sections by state highways for the safety of beach clean volunteers.

Comment by Jack Santa Barbara:
[Posted 26 November 2011]

It is a wonderful community spirit that brings so many folks out to collect rubbish thoughtlessly discarded on public property. At the same time it is a long way from a much needed solution to the throw-away society we have all become so complacent with.

A more fundamental change is needed which sees manufacturers taking responsibility for what they produce by actually taking products back after they have outlived their usefulness. When manufacturers do this they then have a genuine incentive to only produce goods that can either be recycled or can be composted. By taking these items back they then have a continuous stream of material to make more products and there is no rubbish to discard.

This design approach is called Extended Producer Responsibility and some forward looking companies have voluntarily taken it on. The next step is for governments to require such a design approach - then all those collecting rubbish can go play on the beach instead!

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