Bags of rubbish collected after post-storm beach clean-up

13 Mar, 2023

Recent extreme weather events have not only impacted our roads, homes and businesses but our natural environment too.

In response to the significant plastic pollution visible on Forestry Beach, Sustainable Kaipara and Tomarata School teamed up to carry out a beach clean-up.

The dedicated team of students, teachers, parents and new Tomarata School principal Chris King spent last Wednesday afternoon collecting over eight bags of plastic waste. Mangawhai Beach School students and parents also joined the collection.

"It's shocking to see how much plastic there is, but heart-warming that so many people are willing to give up their time to help clean up this beautiful beach," said Mr King.

Fish, seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals can become entangled in or ingest plastic debris, causing suffocation, starvation, and drowning. Marine animals can ingest the plastic which can then enter the human food chain and result in potential health impacts.

Eddie White commented that ‘there were a lot of lollipop sticks which is surprising’.

"The most concerning aspect of the clean-up was the small size of plastic particles littered across the length of the beach including large numbers of nurdles or plastic pellets (small lentil-sized pieces of plastic that are the building blocks for most plastic products)," noted Sustainable Kaipara’s Sarah Bray.

n More community clean-ups will be required to clear away some of the plastic pollution covering our coastlines. Follow Sustainable Kaipara at sustainablekaipara.org to keep up to date with future events or head out to the beach with a bag in hand and see how much you can collect.

The ‘Trash Team’ comb Forestry beach for rubbish after the recent cyclone. PHOTO/SUPPLIED