Coastal clean-up on the cards

LOCAL LITTER: Sam Judd from Sustainable Coastlines removes rubbish from Whangarei’s Town Basin and is keen to help with a bigger cleanup.

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Whangarei Leader

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An environmental crew sailing from Whangarei to Tonga want to return to lead a large-scale coastal clean-up.

Sustainable Coastlines is a New Zealand-based society that aims to help communities protect their coastlines.

In April the organisation led hundreds of people in a cleanup of Great Barrier Island, removing more than two tonnes of rubbish.

Co-founder Sam Judd says he was inspired to run the event after working on a Whangarei-based boat harvesting kina and helping Dive! Tutukaka educate people about marine reserves.

Students and a young film crew from Manaia View School travelled the furthest to take part in the Great Barrier Island clean-up, says Mr Judd.

Sustainable Coastlines is now sailing to Tonga aboard the yacht Nola, where it plans to help with rubbish disposal.

Mr Judd says the Ha’a’pai Island group has no rubbish disposal facilities and rubbish is either burnt or dumped. The team plans to organise a large cleanup plus permanent rubbish disposal using a barge.

Sustainable Coastlines is also planning a large-scale clean-up in Whangarei later this year.

While in Whangarei preparing for the Tonga trip last week, the crew did a quick clean-up of mangroves at the Town Basin, removing three sacks of rubbish.

- © Fairfax NZ News