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AMDI Citizen Science Reveals Local Origins of Marine Debris in NSW

Citizen science reveals local origins of marine debris in NSW Photo credit: AMDI Partners, Woebegone Marine Debris Crew and Woebegone Freedive at their local clean-up. For over 20 years, everyday people, businesses and organisations have been participating in beach clean-ups and contributing data to the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database. Researchers at UNSW have now used this data to inform oceanographic models that tracked plastic along the NSW coastline back to their most likely source.  New research published in

7 February 2025

Hooked on Sustainability: Rig Recycle’s Youth Ambassador Guy Lambert Shares Highlights from King of Kings

Rig Recycle Ambassador Guy Lambert gives us the rundown of Shimano King of Kings fishing tournament in Yeppoon. Rig Recycle Youth Ambassador GUY LAMBERT I’ve just returned from an amazing adventure.  From 31 January to 3 February 2025, I attended the Shimano King of Kings fishing tournament in the Central Queensland town of Yeppoon.  Our team was made up of Bodhi and me (Rig Recycle Youth Ambassadors), my dad, and Tangaroa Blue team members Aaron and Ian. We took to the

5 February 2025

The Hunt is On For Microplastic Pollution

The hunt is on for microplastics in Operation Clean Sweep’s Nurdle Hunt 2024 Last week, Tangaroa Blue Foundation held the annual Operation Clean Sweep Great Nurdle Hunts in Sydney and Melbourne, jointly organised with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Chemistry Australia, Dow Chemical and Viva Energy. Sydney’s event was held at Plane Spotters Beach in Botany, with 26 plastic industry representatives, NSW EPA officers, NSW DCCEEW officers and Chemistry Australia, assessing the extent of plastic feedstock pollution and removing

16 December 2024

Wasted Space – Tangaroa Blue presents innovative paper at INC-5 Global Plastic Treaty negotiations

Last week, delegates from around the world came together at the INC-5 Global Plastic Treaty negotiations in Busan, Republic of Korea. Tangaroa Blue’s Bella Charlesworth was on the ground in Busan, following the action. Much anticipation surrounded these important (and supposedly final) negotiations, with the goal of agreeing on a Global Plastic Treaty by the end of the event.   Although disappointingly, the negotiations ended without an agreed-upon treaty ( and another round of the talks was set for next

4 December 2024

Volunteers cleared a mighty 7.3 tonnes of marine debris from the coastline for the 20th anniversary WA Beach Clean-up!

Over 2000 volunteers came together across 143 events for Tangaroa Blue Foundation’s 20th anniversary WA Beach Clean-up. During October, community groups, schools, businesses and individuals cleaned up more than 159 km of the coast!  The 7.3 tonnes of marine debris removed from the coastline makes a significant contribution to protecting WA’s marine environment. The data from these clean-ups contribute to two decades of marine debris data captured in the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database. This national repository, supported by

28 November 2024

Volunteers Remove 49,000 Pieces of Marine Debris in the 2024 Great Barrier Reef Clean-up!

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.   “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

26 November 2024

Rig Recycle Launches Tackle Back—A New Tool for Fishers to Combat Fishing Waste

This past Sunday, close to 250 volunteers joined Mandurah’s annual Luca’s Legacy community clean-up, removing a massive 400 kilograms of rubbish from local coastlines. The event also marked the launch of Tackle Back, a new tool for anglers that makes it easier to responsibly dispose of fishing waste, helping to keep our coastlines cleaner. The Tackle Back personal disposal bin is the latest project from the Tangaroa Blue Foundation’s Rig Recycle program. The initial trial in Mandurah is proudly funded

1 November 2024

Citizen Science: A Powerful Tool for Tracking Plastic Pollution and Supporting SDG Reporting

Here at Tangaroa Blue Foundation, we know the incredible value of citizen science in addressing plastic pollution. Our new scientific study published in collaboration with researchers from the University of New South Wales demonstrates how data collected by everyday people can play a crucial role in monitoring plastic debris on beaches and supporting national reporting on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study highlights the powerful role of citizen science in SDG reporting. By using the AMDI Database, we provided the

17 September 2024

Preserving Christmas Island’s Marine Paradise: A Year of Impactful Action

2024 Christmas Island Marine Debris Report Released Christmas Island, nestled in the Indian Ocean Territories of Australia, is a remote treasure, renowned for its unmatched biodiversity, both on land and in the surrounding reefs. Despite its beauty, the island faces a significant challenge: plastic debris carried by ocean currents and trade winds. These challenges are exacerbated by the island’s rugged terrain, where towering sea cliffs and remote beaches make clean-up efforts difficult but essential. The Christmas Island Marine Debris Initiative

3 September 2024

What is the state of the Great Barrier Reef?

What is the state of the Great Barrier Reef? The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2024, prepared every five years by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, summarises the Reef’s long-term outlook based on its use, management, and risks. This year’s report uses data from the Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database to analyse the risks and impacts of marine debris on the Great Barrier Reef and help identify areas for improvement. “The window of opportunity to secure a positive

28 August 2024
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