It is now illegal to release balloons in Victoria
Read all about severe penalties here https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/balloons
Huge congrats to Karen at No Balloon Release Australia who tirelessly campaigned for years on this, a massive win and great collaboration with Zoos Victoria.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #balloons #balloonsblow #beachcleanup

What is the difference between degradable, biodegradable and
compostable bags? And which bin do they go in?

DEGRADABLE
Degradable bags are made from plastic with other chemicals added (including heavy metals) that cause the plastic to break down and disintegrate over time when exposed to sunlight and heat. If degradable bags are released into our environment they become quite problematic as they break down into hundreds of tiny pieces of plastic. Animals can consume the smaller pieces of plastic more readily than they would if the bags were still whole. It is also much more difficult to remove hundreds of tiny pieces of plastic from the environment than it is to remove a single bag.
Which Bin? Degradable bags should only be used for and placed into your general waste bin.

BIODEGRADABLE
Like degradable bags, biodegradable are often still plastic bags that have microorganisms added to break down the plastic.
Which bin? Biodegradable bags should only be used for and placed into your general waste bin

​COMPOSTABLE
Compostable bags are made of natural plant starch, and do not produce any toxic material. Compostable bags break down readily in a composting system through microbial activity to form compost. In order to be classified as compostable they must meet the Australian Standard for compostability AS4736 and will have this symbol.
Which bin? Compostable bags can be used to line your kitchen caddy for collection of food scraps and then placed into the green lidded food and garden organics (FOGO) bin. Don’t waste them in your general waste bin as they will not compost well in a landfill environment.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plastic #plasticbag

A reminder that it is safe to bring your own cup! Check out this six step method for safe, contactless coffee - enabling reusable coffee cups to return to the take out menu! ⁠
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#northernbeachescleanupcrew #keepcup #takeaway #coffee #byocup

​Did you know that H&M recycles old clothes. The clothes don't even have to be bought at H&M and when you take them to their shop, you also get a 15% discount voucher to use within the shop. The closest H&M is at Warringah Mall.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #recycling #recycle #clothes #clothing

Every little step counts.
Merimbula McDonald’s has committed to divert its food waste from landfill through Bega Valley Shire Council’s FOGO (Food Organics and Garden Organics) for Business scheme.
The Merimbula franchise is the first McDonald’s restaurant in NSW to adopt the FOGO scheme, adding to a growing number of local businesses pushing for better food waste management.
Council’s FOGO for Business Project Officer, Rechelle Fisher said the quick service restaurant’s decision shows a commitment to explore the commercial and environmental benefits of diverting food waste to Council’s composting facility.
“This is an established local business showing that responsible food waste management can be a commercially made decision with great social and environmental outcomes,” Ms Fisher said.
“It’s the bottom line that often dictates choosing one path over another, and Merimbula Macca’s plus a growing number of other local businesses now realise that saving on costs and making positive environmental changes go hand-in-hand.
“Another positive is the collaboration between Council staff and Merimbula McDonald’s management in overcoming challenges that may have otherwise resulted in FOGO not working for their business. “Initially, the restaurant jumped on board in 2019 as an early adopter of commercial FOGO in the Bega Valley. Their first go at this wasn’t so successful due to implementing different disposal methods with staff. “The Restaurant Manager flagged these issues with the FOGO team, and we were able to work with them to overcome any challenges.”
Restaurant Manager, Ryan Fraser said the restaurant reintroduced the FOGO bins late last year and the service is now running smoothly.
“Thanks to help from Council’s FOGO team we are now keeping food waste out of landfill and saving money on our disposal costs. It’s a win for everyone.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #lesswaste #fogo

Are you a jerk?
Remarkably, there was no sign of dog poo along the pathway between the Pavilion Cafe & Bar and the Warrnambool Surf Life Saving Club yesterday.
Could this sign be working???
It looks to us like some vigilante got sick of seeing all the dog poop and dog poop bags along this path and created their own sign. What a legend!
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #beachcleanup

Thank you to ALL of you amazing people.
National Volunteer Week (NVW) is Australia's largest annual celebration of volunteers. From Monday 17th to Sunday 23rd May 2021
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #volunteer

In a river in the Danish city of Århus, a small machine called the WasteShark now autonomously sails through the water collecting trash, bringing it to shore, and then recharging itself. Soon, a drone will begin flying through the air to help: Using a special lens that collects data to be crunched by a machine learning algorithm, that drone can identify pieces of plastic or other garbage and direct the sailing drone to pick them up. The system can also identify oil spills, which the WasteShark can help clean up with a special filter.
While the small trash-eating drone isn’t new, the addition of the flying drone makes it possible to find more garbage more quickly. The sailing drone also hasn’t been used to clean up oil spills in the past, because without the drone overhead scanning the water, it wouldn’t be able to identify the oil.
This type of work isn’t a complete solution to our waste problem; stopping the flow of plastic waste into the ocean will require rethinking how products are packaged and sold and building better recycling infrastructure. But these types of tools can help governments better understand the scale of the challenge. And systems that catch trash in rivers, as the project in Denmark does, can be a final safeguard to stop plastic and other pollution before it drifts into the ocean, breaks down into tiny fragments, and ends up being eaten by fish or birds.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #litter #trash #beachcleanup #saveouroceans

We've now had 5 out of 8 states and territories commit to ban single-use plastics, and the differences are big. In addition to the plastics listed here, Western Australia will also be moving to ban helium balloon releases, microbeads and polystyrene packaging in the coming years.
PLUS the Australian Government has committed to phase out loose fill and moulded polystyrene packaging by July 2022, as well as expanded polystyrene foodware, oxo-degradable plastics, and PVC packaging labels by December 2022. One thing is clear - we have a long way to go! We still need several states and territories to get on board, and we need all jurisdictions to increase their ambition and phase out more of the lethal plastics hurting our ocean wildlife.
For a more detailed version, visit www.marineconservation.org.au/plasticstracker
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plastic #plasticfree #beachcleanup #litter

If you buy plastic free, you're guaranteed snake free lettuce. This is a juvenile Pale Headed Snake (Hoplocephalus bitorquatus), capable of causing a dangerous bite found in a pre-packed lettuce bag at Aldi in the Sydney suburb of Mosman. The snake has since been taken back to Queensland and released.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plasticfree #snake #lettuce #plastic #aldi #mosman

We have been nicely asking supermarkets and producers to fix this excess packaging problem for DECADES, petitions, direct emails, customer feedback etc, many of us boycott plastic products, yet the problem GETS WORSE! How can we get shops to listen?
Jackie often goes to to Aldi. She unwraps her shopping and leaved the plastic packaging in the shop to highlight the excess single use plastic created by the food industry. The manager has spoken to her and she has explained her reasons for doing this. Jacki asked him to contact Aldi head office to request they review their policy on the use of plastic and he promised to do this.
What do you think works best?
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plastic

Happy Earth Day! Today, more than 1 billion people in 192 countries will participate in Earth Day activities, making it the world's largest environmental event. This year, in the face of global inaction on pressing environmental problems, we must harness that power.
Every day we have the opportunity to raise awareness and inspire people to restore our earth! Here is a list of 15 ways you can help look after our earth:
​1. Ditch single use plastic, recycle, and compost food waste.
2. Share social media posts from your favourite environmental/animal charity to help spread the word.
​3. Leave water out for wildlife (and place sticks in it for insects to be able to escape).
4. Sign a petition for a cause you believe in.
5. Say no to entertainment and tourism that exploits animals and harms the environment. ​
​6. Bring a reusable coffee cup to your coffee shop!
7. Donate to your favourite environmental/animal charity.
8. Conserve water. The less you use, the less runoff and wastewater that will eventually end up in the ocean. ​
9. Learn more about our earth & animals through books, documentaries and educational resources.
10. Bike more!
11. Eat kind by dining on delicious plant-based meals. Cutting out animal products like meat, dairy and eggs is easier than you might think! The U.N. reports that animal agriculture is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the combined exhaust from all transportation.
12. Shop kind by not buying clothes, cosmetics or items that use or test on animals or harm our planet. Shop secondhand for your next purchase or buy from a sustainable brand.
13. Arrange a fundraiser for your favourite charity.
14. Email or write a letter to your MP or local newspaper about an animal welfare or environmental issue you care about.
15. Turn off the lights! Conserve electrical energy by only using what you need or switch to renewable resources, like wind, water or the sun!
​#northernbeachescleanupcrew

Have you heard of the 'shopping trolley theory'? It's been applied to management styles, tests of moral fibre etc
It is basically the theory that, given that you get nothing out of it why would you do the 'right' thing? The shopping trolley presents itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it.
Applies to managing your waste, and picking up litter from others. When its easier to just 'do nothing' do you choose to take the time to do it right?
Servant leadership describes it well. Leading by example is another way of acknowledging this model.
Do you return your shopping trolley?
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #trolley

Balloons found at Dee Why beach a few weeks ago. Balloons do not go to heaven. They land in the ocean and choke sea turtles, kill dolphins and whales, and the ribbons entangle birds. Many times, they end up on a beach as litter. Even the ones marked "biodegradable" can hurt animals before they have a chance to break down. Animals far from the ocean, such as horses, have been hurt and killed by balloons (they eat them when they land in their hay or they get spooked and bolt). Some balloons have started fires when they got entangled in power lines.
Sky lanterns have set homes, power lines, trees, and buildings on fire. Sky lanterns can also entangle an animal even if it is marketed as "biodegradable." There are many safe alternatives to releasing litter into the air, such as planting a tree for your loved one and watching it bloom, or blowing bubbles into the air. Grief is a painful process. In our grief, we do not need to cause others grief. While there are many environmental problems facing our planet, this is a very simple one to solve.

#northernbeachescleanupcrew #balloons #balloonsblow #nature

Wherever you are in the world, please use a reusable mask as your first option but if you for whatever reason need to wear single-use masks, please CUT the strings before throwing them out.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #mask

How many have actually found dumped reusable cups? We've found one on all our clean ups in total. Single-use cups are not valued hence they are often littered. Have you made the change to a reusable cup yet?
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #coffee

Return and Earn is celebrating the 5 billionth container deposited through the scheme. With two out of three eligible containers now returned through the state’s container deposit scheme, over 460,000 tonnes of material has being sent to recyclers to be turned into a clean, valuable commodity. $500m has been returned to the NSW community through the 10 cent deposit and over $18.2 million has been raised for community groups and charities via donations and fees from hosting return points. If you like to donate your bottles and cans to "Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew", please comment below or send us a message and we will give you or barcode to scan.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #recycling

Over 450 ‘swap and go’ cups have been delivered to the first 20 cafes signed up to the northern beaches council's Swap for Good coffee cup swap program.
The ‘swap and go’ systems are a great solution to reducing our reliance on disposable coffee cups. Customers drop off their empty swap cup at any participating café, then when purchasing a coffee, it’s served in a new and clean swap cup. There are also options if customers forget to bring their swap cup, which makes it easier to create a new habit over time.
As part of the Swap for Good program, the registered cafes from Manly to Elanora Heights received free stock of the reusable ‘swap and go’ systems to help them reduce their use of disposable coffee cups in a COVID-safe way. To be part of this program:
https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/.../coffee-cup...
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #recycling #swapforgood #takeawaycoffee

Batteries.....Australians dispose of 8000 tones of batteries each year , full of acid, heavy metals and recoverable valuable materials.
Faaaaar out......8000 tonnes.....imagine what that looks like!
With only 3% of all Australian batteries being recycled this is an area that needs BIG change - and yet it’s so easy! These little power cells are a disaster in the red bin and landfill!
Follow these TWO simple steps:
1. COLLECT THEM - Clearly mark a container and put it somewhere safe & accessible and collect your used batteries
2. DROP THEM OFF - Recycling collection centers are in heaps of places -
Battery World (go figure!),
Aldi
And you can find more including information for CAR batteries etc on the link below.
No excuses - collect your batteries, recycle them properly and TELL A FRIEND or five!
Get 'em outta landfill!!!
https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/batteries/
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #batteries

Repurposed spoons turned into a penguin.
Pic: Erik Gustafsson
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #repurpose

South Australia's nation-leading ban on single-use plastics, such as straws and cutlery, has come into force, with the government targeting other items to add to the prohibited list. Environment Minister David Speirs says the new laws ban the sale, supply and distribution of a range of single-use items. He says more will be added to the list in early 2022 including polystyrene cups, bowls and plates. Fines can be issued for any businesses that don't comply but, with strong consumer support for the new laws, the government believes companies will be happy to embrace the change.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plasticfree #plastic #saynotoplastic

Camille Reed is the founder of the Australasian Circular Textile Association, a not-for-profit that advocates for more sustainability in the fashion and textile sector. She says about 30 percent of all online sales are returned in Australia.
"And of that 30 percent, a further 30 percent cannot be sold". That's part of the roughly 800,000 tonnes of textile waste generated in Australia annually, according to the latest numbers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
When returns come in, they'll usually be manually assessed to make sure the product is in good condition, and fits the company's protocols for resale. "Maybe there's no capacity to actually have staff on the payroll to facilitate that," says Camille Reed. "There probably is a huge cost associated with holding [certain] labels and branding and remarketing, ensuring that it's all correct." If items can't be resold, they might be donated to charities, sold on to discount chains - or tossed altogether.
Associate Processor Payne says companies will ultimately be thinking about their bottom line, as well as the environmental impact. "For each particular retailer, they have to make a decision: which is the most cost effective pathway?" she says.
"And for some of them, it might be to partner with a charity or a textile recycler, to handle that waste." "Sometimes the easiest pathway, the path of least resistance, might be landfill or to overseas retail incineration as well."
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #landfill

What reusable items do you regularly use?
Some easy ones to bring with you are reusable coffee cups, straws, food containers and lunch boxes.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plasticfree

These sheep are made from old telephone cords and telephones.
Artist: https://jeanluc.cornec.de
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#northernbeachescleanupcrew #recycle #repurpose #plastic #sheep #telephone

​People are creating more waste than ever. Bins are overflowing faster and faster, partly due to all of the packaging food comes in nowadays, and partly due to not enough collection times. That is why it’s more important than ever to deal with it efficiently.
So, what can be done to prevent this problem with bins on a wider scale?
Some of the solutions are quite simple, like getting more regular collections, or making efforts to reduce the waste you generate. As for more specialised solutions, smart solar-powered compactor bins are popular in many public areas. These can hold up to eight times as much waste as normal bins due to their compaction process, function through solar power to be eco-friendly, and have the technology to inform those collecting the waste when the bin is about to become full to prevent them overflowing!
In smaller areas, smart fill-level sensors in bins are more appropriate in terms of spacing, playing the same role in monitoring when the bin is full. A monitoring platform can also be put in place to plan out future collections ahead of time, making collections far more efficient and costs being reduced by 50%.
With new ways to use bins, overflowing bins may soon stop being a problem, hopefully bringing an end to the problems of large amounts of business and household waste as well. That being said, we’ll probably find a way to make more waste in the meantime. Will the Northern Beaches Council look at these options? Not sure, but we hope so. All these pictures were taken tonight, by Manly wharf, by the bus stop by Gilbert Park and by the main beach.
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#northernbeachescleanupcrew #bins #litter #rubbish #trashtag #Manly #beachescouncil #loveManly #Manlybeach