​How many venues do you know that use plastic straws?
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plasticfree

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center of Boca Raton posted a photo on its Facebook page earlier this week showing a baby turtle that had eaten 104 pieces of plastic and tragically passed away.
In the picture, the small chunks of plastic are lined up next to the turtle, everything from balloons to bottle labels. Gumbo Limbo said this time of year is known as "washback" season, where turtle hatchlings that made it out to the Gulf Stream are now starting to wash back up along our coast.
The nature center said 100 percent of washback turtles that have plastic in their intestinal tracts don't survive. "It is safe to assume they each have plastic inside of them," said Whitney Crowder, the rehabilitation coordinator at Gumbo Limbo. Crowder said they've seen 121 washbacks this season, and dozens have died.
"Every single one that we have necropsied has had plastic in their system," said Crowder.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plastic

If we continue to dump plastic as we have done to date, the quantity floating on the surface could quadruple by the year 2050, and up to 231.6 million tonnes will have polluted the ocean as microplastics.
The picture is better if we stop releasing any plastic into the ocean from 2020. In that scenario, the volume of floating plastic would drop to 59% of its current levels. But the quantity of microplastics in the ocean would still more than double by 2050 as material already trapped in the environment degrades.
The problem will be with us for decades, the researchers write:
“Mitigating microplastic pollution in the global ocean requires two major components: (1) drastically reducing emissions of plastic pollution in the coming years and (2) actively engaging in removal operations of plastic waste from the marine environment to reduce further generation of secondary microplastics.
“Without proper handling and management of accumulated plastic waste, the legacy of the last 70 years of throw-away society will live on through the generation of ever smaller synthetic polymer fragments in soils, freshwater ecosystems and eventually the ocean.”
By: Mark Bruer

Earthcare St Kilda penguin guides found this penguin with a wristband caught around it's neck tonight. Thanks to guides Maggie and Gordon for finding the penguin and to Ivan for removing the wristband. Thankfully the entanglement was detected early and the penguin was not injured.
We urge you to think about the environment every time you accept or purchase plastic products. Please ask yourselves "is it worth it?"
and if you see companies handing out waste as merchandise, question them.
If you are throwing circular objects in the bin, cut it and break the chain.
Do it for the penguins and all other animals.
Pic: St Kilda Penguins

A massive thank you to all crew members who contacted Cancer Council Australia in regards to them using "turtle killers" (balloons) to promote Daffodil Day. Together we can create more awareness about the harm balloons do to our fragile environment and precious wildlife. Thanks to you, Cancer Council Australia removed all their balloons from the wharf. We would also like to thank Cancer Council Australia for showing that the care, not only for people but also for animals. We hope that next year, there will be no more balloons on Daffodil Day.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead 

Turtle killers used to promote "Daffodil Day" to raise funds for cancer research for humans while killing our precious wildlife and fragile environment. The little penguins that call Manly home are endangered and already face threats both at sea and on land. Do you think they can raise money without using balloons?
Waste Minimisation at Functions and Events Policy is Northern Beaches Council's policy and it requires event organisers to reduce their waste, promote sustainable procurement and increase recycling at public events held on Council property. The Policy and Guidelines BAN event organisers selling or distributing single-use plastics, BALLOONS, bottled water and single serve sachets.
Balloons are in the top three most harmful waste items to wildlife. Birds and turtles not only ingest balloons, they actively select them as food. This is because a burst balloon often resembles a jellyfish, the natural food sources of many marine species like turtles.
Ingesting balloons, and the clips and strings attached to them, can cause intestinal blockages and results in a slow painful death through starvation. Marine animals don’t have the gastrointestinal pH levels to breakdown a balloon and for turtles, it may also cause floating syndrome. Trapped gases in the gut can cause a turtle to become buoyant, unable to dive for food—making them vulnerable to boat strikes and leading to starvation and severe dehydration.
Wildlife, both terrestrial and marine, can also become entangled in balloon ribbons or strings, causing injury or death through drowning, suffocation, or an inability to feed and avoid predators.
Even if balloons are disposed of "safely" they go to landfill where it may take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leaching potentially toxic substances into the soil and water. Why are some organisations like this so stubborn in regards to using balloons as "advertising fun?
Even if these balloons are biodegradable, it's greenwash. Natural latex may be biodegradable, but after adding chemicals, plasticizers and artificial dyes, how natural could it be? It may degrade after several years, but it’s surely not “biodegradable.”

Baby sea turtles are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of plastic pollution, according to a new study which found around half of the recently hatched reptiles had stomachs full of plastic. In recent years, scientists have realised that animals ranging from plankton to whales are regularly consuming plastic, since around 10 million tons of it ends up in the sea every year. While some plastic can pass harmlessly through animals’ digestive systems, it can also accumulate and kill them by either blocking or tearing their guts.
A new study published in the journal Nature has attempted to quantify the harm that plastic is having on the turtle population of eastern Australia. In their research, a team led by Dr Britta Denise Hardesty from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) examined data from nearly 1,000 dead turtles to understand the role plastic played in their deaths. They found that the youngest turtles appeared to be most susceptible to plastic pollution. Just over half of the post-hatchling individuals had ingested plastic, and around a quarter of the slightly older juveniles were affected, compared to around 15 per cent of adults. While the number of plastic pieces in the reptiles’ guts varied wildly from one to over 300, the scientists were able to deduce that turtles have a 50 per cent probability of death after consuming 14 pieces. The work emerges as another study documents the global decline of turtles and tortoises that has left over 60 per cent of the world’s species either extinct or facing extinction.

A new study finds balloons are the deadliest plastic out there for seabirds. Even though balloons represent only 2 percent of all plastics ingested by seabirds, they are responsible for 42 percent of plastic-related deaths. Marine birds are a 32 times as likely to die from eating a little fragment of a popped balloon than they are from a hard plastic like a LEGO brick or straw, the study found. The reason balloons are so lethal is that they’re able to squeeze into stomach cavities and then open up and block them, the researchers said.
A hard piece of plastic has to be the absolute wrong shape and size to block a region in the birds’ gut, whereas soft rubber items can contort to get stuck. Also, balloons look particularly like seafood to the birds.
Link to research: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-36585-9

The inconvenient truth around convenience... ​

This is what remains of a single-use disposable coffee cup after the cardboard degrades when it ends up in the ocean. The plastic lining can easily be mistaken as a jellyfish by a turtle and can cause intestinal blockages and results in a slow painful death through starvation. ​

Styrofoam balls heading from Undercliff road towards Freshwater Beach. Thousands and thousands of these balls are found at the southern end of Freshie beach. We tried to clean up as many as we could last month but it's "Mission Impossible" to get them all. Are these balls coming from discarded bean bags, commercial packaging or ?
Styrofoam is to made from polystyrene and it's non-biodegradable and appears to last forever. It’s resistant to photolysis, or the breaking down of materials by photons originating from light. This, combined with the fact that Styrofoam floats, means that large amounts of polystyrene have accumulated along coastlines and waterways around the world. It is considered a main component of marine debris and it's often mistaken as food by animals.
Northern Beaches Council, we really need your help here. This is a big problem for our pristine beaches and fragile marine life.
Pic by: Mathew Baker