Great Barrier Reef Clean Up

Tangaroa Blue Foundation is calling citizen scientists, schools, community groups, local governments and all ocean lovers to join the month-long Great Barrier Reef Clean-up this October.

“In all my years running clean ups around the Great Barrier Reef, I’ve never seen marine debris like this,” says Tangaroa Blue’s Managing Director, Heidi Taylor.

“The sad fact is that marine debris is a major threat to the Great Barrier Reef, and in some of the most remote locations in the region, volunteers are removing over 1 tonne of rubbish per kilometre!”

The Great Barrier Reef Clean-up is part of the 5-year ReefClean project, which focuses on both the removal and prevention of marine debris impacting the iconic reef. Over the weekend of October 5th & 6th, volunteers can join one of the six Great Barrier Reef Clean-up launch events that will take place across the Cape York, Wet Tropics, Burdekin, Mackay Whitsundays, Fitzroy and Burnett Mary NRM Regions.

“If you love the Great Barrier Reef and want to see it protected, it’s not too late to get involved. You can also register your own clean-up event anywhere across the reef – we’ll provide you with all of the cleanup materials you’ll need to help solve this problem.

"Local communities and our partners are the lifeblood of the ReefClean project. The more people who get involved, the more coastline and islands we’ll be able to tackle. “The clean-ups deliver vital data for the Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database, which helps identify the sources of where all this rubbish is coming from.

“By doing so, clean-ups immediately improve the health of the local environment and provide the evidence needed to help keep the Great Barrier Reef clean in the future.”

"If you know of a local site that needs attention and you want to take the lead on a clean-up, we want to hear from you. ReefClean is funded by the Australian Government's Reef Trust and delivered by Tangaroa Blue Foundation, Conservation Volunteers Australia, AUSMAP, Capricornia Catchments, Eco Barge Clean Seas, OceanWatch Australia, Reef Check Australia and South Cape York Catchments.

If you'd like to volunteer at an existing event or register a site, visit www.reefclean.org.