The 2024 Great Barrier Reef Clean-up, hosted by ReefClean (delivered by Tangaroa Blue Foundation and funded by the Australian Government) in partnership with Clean Up Australia, brought communities across the Great Barrier Reef region and Queensland together for 141 impactful clean-up events.
Â
“The Great Barrier Reef Clean-up offers a fantastic chance for our community to come together and clean their favourite sections of the Reef before the wet season begins. It also plays a crucial role in gathering essential data on marine debris levels throughout the Reef’s catchment area.”
Â
The six-week event launched with great momentum at Machans Beach, Cairns, featuring the Australian Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek and Senator Green. Throughout September and October, individuals, schools, businesses, and community groups rolled up their sleeves to clean-up beaches and creeks, preventing debris from entering the Reef catchment with the onset of the wet season.
Â
ReefClean provided clean-up kits to over 700 volunteers across the region, with events spanning from Cooktown to Bundaberg, and even extending as far south as Bribie and Stradbroke Islands.
Data for the AMDI
Participants recorded their findings in the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database, a national repository supported by over 3,100 organisations. The top items collected were Plastic Remnants (9,426 items) and Plastic Packaging (3,954 items), underscoring the urgent need to reduce plastic waste. Plastic doesn’t break down; it only breaks up into smaller pieces of microplastic, harming marine life across the Reef ecosystem.
Debris Breakdown
Other notable debris included plastic fishing items (368), foam pieces (370), and metal items (724). In total, 17,542 pieces of debris were recorded in the AMDI Database. This critical data will contribute to a better understanding of marine debris in the Great Barrier Reef region (and beyond) and provide evidence for plans to reduce debris at its source.
Thank you to our partners, volunteers and staff
Thanks to the dedication of the volunteers and communities involved, the 2024 Great Barrier Reef Clean-up has once again made a meaningful contribution to the health of one of the world’s most treasured ecosystems.
