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Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew
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First there was the coffee bean, then the instant coffee jar, and then expensive coffee shop drinks on the go. In the past decade or more coffee drinkers worldwide have adopted a new method of getting their daily jolt of caffeine - the coffee capsule machine. Coffee pods are one of the best examples of unnecessary single-use plastics that are polluting our planet. Many end up getting incinerated, dumping poison into our air, water and our soil. If you drink pods, buy pods that can be composted and compost them or use ground beans and compost them. The sad truth is that nearly nothing in landfills breaks down: coffee grounds, compostable materials, paper, plastic, nothing. Please check your pods and don't buy the greenwash. When buying compostable pods, look for these signs: 1. Australian certified compostable (the EU certifications are not accepted here). 2. Look for a clear returns program. 3. Look at the product - if the lid looks shiny and like aluminium, it is not compostable. 4. Beware of the word "biodegradable" — it's often used as a green washing mechanism. Especially the term "oxo-biodegradable", this means it is essentially plastic. #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #coffee #coffeepod #plasticfree #plastic Credit @gocomics  Laziness photographed. Despite what many people claim, we still see lots of bottles and cans not being recycled as well as single-use coffee cups - why not bring your own cup? Pic at Wynyard station today. #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #bin #recycling #recycle #rubbish  In February, Coca-Cola announced it will make at least 25% of its packaging reusable by 2030. But in their just-released 2021 Business and Environmental, Social, and Governance report, Coke actually increased the amount of single-use plastic bottles produced by *13 BILLION* in 2021. Here's their number of bottles produced each year- 2018: 117 billion 2019: 120 billion 2020: 112 billion 2021: 125 billion #Greenpeace #plastic #plasticfree #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #Coca-Cola #saynotoplastic  We found this in Narrabeen Lagoon on our last clean up. America's Cup 1987 it says on it. It's been in the lagoon for a while. #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #beachcleanup #Coca-Cola #litter #rubbish  Anyone else confused? Photo taken on the 19th of June at K-Mart, Warringah Mall. Single-use plastic lightweight plastic bags were banned from 1 June 2022 following laws passed by the NSW Government six months ago. Businesses in NSW are no longer be able to give customers lightweight plastic bags from 1 June or to have them in stock. What is being banned? Plastic bags banned from 1 June: lightweight plastic bags of 35 microns or less (including compostable and bioplastic alternatives) Plastics bags not banned from 1 June include: thicker plastic bags over 35 microns (such as bags at some supermarkets and boutique stores) barrier bags such as produce and deli bags, bin liners, compost caddy liners, nappy bags and pet-waste bags To help retailers adjust to the change, the NSW Government has partnered with the National Retail Association to run an education campaign for small businesses across NSW showing how they can phase out and replace single-use plastics. Retailers, suppliers, community groups and not-for-profit organisations can contact the National Retail Association for advice on the NSW ban on 1800 844 946 or email sustainability@nra.net.au #northernbeachescleanupcrew #banthebag #nbcuc #plastic #plasticbag  If it works in Sweden, why can't it work in Australia? In Sweden strawberries are sold in paper boxes with no lid. #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #strawberries #Sweden #plastic #plasticfree    Plastic - everyday killer and destroyer of wildlife. This turtle was not lucky enough to get help in time. Plastic is everywhere. Did you know that "No-one in their daily life within a period of 10 minutes isn't touching something that is made of plastic"?
The rate at which plastic breaks down depends upon the conditions and the type of plastic. It breaks down faster if exposed to physical abrasion and sunlight. Then there's a lot to do with how thick the plastic is, how dense the plastic is, and does it have UV stabilisers. But even if that bag breaks down over the course of six months or a year, it might well have had a lot of environmental impact before that. It is really hard to quantify just how much plastic is in the ocean, but the latest figures estimate there are up to 51 trillion particles or 236,000 tonnes. That says around 40 times the plastic that's in the ocean is going in every year. So there's a whole bunch that has to be going somewhere else. There are two types of plastics that float: polyethelene, which is used to make milk jugs and plastic bags, and polypropolene, which is used for things like bottle caps, straws and dairy containers. As they travel out to sea plastics get ground down into small, hard cubes, which can be eaten by marine animals. Animals get wrapped up in monofilament fishing line nets, plastic bags, balloons, and straps. A research has estimated that between 5,000 and 15,000 sea turtles are entangled each year by derelict fishing gear washing ashore in northern Australia alone.Anything that is long or flexible or sheet-like is the worst. The second biggest issue is the impact of eating plastic — it is estimated around 90 per cent of seabirds are doing so. These plastics can cause blockages of the gut or perforation of the intestines. What plastic habits can you change today? 1. Buy vegetables not wrapped in plastic bags or in plastic containers? 2. Bring your own fabric or cloth bag when you do shopping? 3. Say no to plastic straws? 4. Sit down in the coffee shop instead of getting a takeaway coffee? 5. Refuse balloons? 6. Say no to soyfish sauce containers? #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #plastic #plasticfree #beachcleanup  This is the ocean if we don't clean up (or change our single-use plastic habits)
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #beachcleanup #saveouroceans  Cardboard tomato punnets are introduced to Perth supermarkets.
The design and material are understood to be the first of their kind in Australia. The real challenge was to create a sturdy cardboard punnet that performed as well, if not better, than the plastic clamshell design. Image Source: Georgia Hargreaves / ABC Pilbara #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #plasticfree #plastic #tomato  Sometimes we wonder about the stories behind the rubbish we find. What do you think is the story of this sign?
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #beachcleanup #curlcurl #westinghouse #litter #rubbish #savethisplanet  Over 2.7 billion plastic items end up in NSW waterways each year To protect our environment, we're helping businesses phase-out single-use plastics in 2022. More info: www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/plastics-ban
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #beachcleanup #plastic #plasticfree  This picture is from Bel & Israel’s travels around Australia. It’s shows the contents from one of the sea turtles who was recovering from ingesting this plastic.
There are some ways that we can all make a difference to the rubbish we produce and therefore impact the volume of rubbish that ends up in our environment and potentially affecting our wildlife. The first thing to consider is "Never buy the single-use-plastic items in the first place." Australia is one of the highest producers of waste per head of population in the world #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #plastic #plasticfree #turtle  You can find single-use-plastic raincoats for less than $1 online. You often see them for sale at concerts or other outdoor events and when it's time to leave, they're littered on the ground in masses. They are marketed as "a disposable raincoat, lightweight and convenient to use. One size fits all. A must for sudden rain, sports/music events, travel, camping, walking, concerts, outdoor events etc. Can be folded to be a very small size, easily stored."
What are your thoughts on these raincoats? Personally, we think it's pretty easy to bring a reusable rain coat with you. We hope that your event will never sell or provide these at your events. #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #raincoat #concert #saynotoplastic #plastic  This is what K-Mart's loading dock looks like at Warriewood. No care for animals or nature. Rubbish and plastic littered and left for animals to eat and drag to the nearby wetlands.
Yet, it states the following on K-Mart's website: "As a large retailer we take our responsibility very seriously to care for and respect our planet and all the lives that we touch." (*https://www.kmart.com.au/bettertogether/) Warriewood Wetlands the largest remaining sand plain wetland in the northern Sydney area. It provides a variety of habitats for native animals and also plays a vital role in flood mitigation, nutrient recycling and filtering sediments. The wetlands contain several Endangered Ecological Communities. #northernbeachescleanupcrew #warriewood #warriewoodwetlands #kmartaus #kmartAustralia #warriewoodwetland #nbcuc #Kmart  The most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn't buy.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #beachcleanup #plastic #plasticfree  What other pointless packaging have you seen today?
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #plastic #plasticfree #plasticfreeproduce  A little bit about us and what we do.
https://manlyobserver.com.au/a-sea-change-needed-to-clean-up-northern-beaches/ #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #beachcleanup #loveManly  Did you know that by throwing your used batteries into your kerbside bins these not only contaminate our environment but can also cause rubbish truck & tip fires? Did you know that the insides of batteries are a valuable resource that are infinite and can be recycled?
A national recycling scheme ‘B-cycle’ is now in action to make it easier for Australians to dispose of their old batteries in a safe way with the introduction of recycling bins at your local Woolworths, Coles, Bunnings, Officeworks and ALDI stores! B-cycle estimates that Australians buy enough batteries every year to circle our planet 2.3 times This is an enormous amount of batteries in Australia going to waste So start collecting your used batteries in a seperate container at home, work, school and drop off to your local battery recycling bin. By making a little extra effort to recycle batteries the right way you are doing your bit for our planet For more information including drop off locations visit the B cycle website here https://bcycle.com.au/ #northernbeachescleanupcrew #recycle #batteryrecycling #thereisnoplanetb #recycling #batteries #nbcuc Hello everyone, the current state along our beaches is extremely sad. I spent three hours at South Curl Curl yesterday cleaning up with my friend Em and trying to rescue an entangled seagull (We're both also trained volunteers with Seabird and Turtle Rescue). The beach was pretty clean when we left yesterday but we were unsuccessful catching the seagull. If you see it, please call Australian Seabird and Turtle Rescue on 0438862676 and we'll try again. Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew has received many pictures of our polluted beaches and as much as we want to be able to be everywhere and clean up everywhere, it's not possible. Right now Collins Beach in Manly needs a lot of help as well as Queenscliff that has a massive Styrofoam problem. So, consider South Curl Curl currently "ticked off", except the entangled seagull and let's focus on other areas. If you and your friends want to help clean up this current mess, please send us a message with your location/pictures and meeting time and we'll share it with our followers to increase more awareness and hopefully get more people heading out to help. When you pick up Styrofoam, please make sure that the bag is tightly closed when you dispose of it, so those nasty little balls won't escape again. I also just also want to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who helps cleaning up this mess. We're all in this together and we're all part of the crew. #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #Styrofoam #beachcleanup #seagull #curlcurl #Queenscliff #Collinsbeach #loveManly #community #helloManly #beachescouncil  Small hallway floor made interesting. Wood from pallets planed twice, nailed in place, sanded, stained, sanded, stained again. Floor by Selga Apse. #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #repurpose #floor #pallet #upcycle  Does this look like a bin? (We think a lot of people may need glasses to be able to see the real bins around). It is estimated Australians use 1 billion disposable coffee cups each year. That's approximately 2,700,000 paper coffee cups thrown out every day! Out of these it is estimated 50,000 disposable coffee cups (and their lids) find their way into landfill every 30mins! If that needless waste frustrates you like it does us, you can make a difference (and encourage others) simply by BYO coffee cup. Together we can all be part of the solution! . #northernbeachescleanupcrew #takeawaycoffee #plastic #plasticfree #takeaway #keepcup #bethechange  Does this look like a bin? (We think a lot of people may need glasses to be able to see the real bins around). #northernbeachescleanupcrew #masks #plastic #plasticfree #litter #tree #bethechange #nbcuc #doesthislooklikeabin  In coastal regions, storms are often powerful and accompanied by deluges of water that rush down hill into storm drains, ravines, streams and rivers, and ultimately to the sea. That water picks up much of the largely forgotten bottles, cans, and other litter that lies along curbs, under trees, in parks, and even in unsecured bins. It carries the debris into the waterways where it tangles in the bush alongside the stream bed or gets caught around rocks and bridge abutments, and eventually, forced by the currents, finds its way onto beaches and into marshes and other areas. Plastic does not break down and go away in the ocean—it simply disintegrates into smaller and smaller parts, disrupting feeding and reproductive systems of ever-smaller animals and plants in the sea. Preventing plastics and other pollution from reaching the ocean should be our priority. We can pick up rubbish every day for the rest of our lives - producers and people's habits and attitudes to single use plastic must change. If your bathroom sink is overflowing, you don’t reach for the mop to soak up the overflow, you turn off the tap. That's is what we must do in regards to single use plastic. Meanwhile, please help us out with cleaning up the beach or other local area where you live. #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #plastic #beachcleanup  Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time, with scientists finding the tiny particles in almost 80% of the people tested. The discovery shows the particles can travel around the body and may lodge in organs. The impact on health is as yet unknown. But researchers are concerned as microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory and air pollution particles are already known to enter the body and cause millions of early deaths a yearThe scientists analysed blood samples from 22 anonymous donors, all healthy adults and found plastic particles in 17. Half the samples contained PET plastic, which is commonly used in drinks bottles, while a third contained polystyrene, used for packaging food and other products. A quarter of the blood samples contained polyethylene, from which plastic carrier bags are made. “Our study is the first indication that we have polymer particles in our blood – it’s a breakthrough result,” said Prof Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands. “But we have to extend the research and increase the sample sizes, the number of polymers assessed, etc.” Further studies by a number of groups are already under way, he said. It is certainly reasonable to be concerned,” Vethaak told the Guardian. “The particles are there and are transported throughout the body.” He said previous work had shown that microplastics were 10 times higher in the faeces of babies compared with adults and that babies fed with plastic bottles are swallowing millions of microplastic particles a day. Read more here: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international #northernbeachescleanupcrew #nbcuc #plastic #microplastic #beachcleanup #plasticfree #health  |
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