FAQ
This is a short list of our most frequently asked questions. Please contact info@tangaroablue.org if you would like further information or support from us
General
In 2004 a small group of concerned individuals came together to clean beaches between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste in Western Australia.
As marine debris continuously flows onto the coastline, the project focused not only onto the removal of the marine debris, but also documenting what was being collected. This data could then be used to track items back to the source and assist in initiating change that would prevent marine debris from occuring. This was the beginning of Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
The program soon gained momentum, spreading around the country and the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) was launched. The AMDI platform provided a nation-wide framework to address marine debris and included a database collating all marine debris items collected by Tangaroa Blue Foundation and participating partners. To date the AMDI database contains over 22 million entries. Over 225,000 volunteers have contributed to beach clean-ups at over 4,400 different sites around Australia, and the list of partner organisations is constantly growing.
Tangaroa Blue Foundation aims to protect and preserve the marine and coastal environment by reducing marine debris. This is achieved through the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) which is coordinated by our organisation. The objectives of AMDI are:
- Removing marine debris from the marine environment
- Ongoing monitoring programs
- Collecting scientific data on the type of debris found
- Tracking the debris back to the source wherever possible
- Working with stakeholders to find strategies (Source Reduction Plans) to prevent marine debris occurring in the first place
- Working with partners to divert marine debris, in particular plastics, from landfill
- Providing education resources and presentations on the marine debris issue to increase understanding and awareness
We work all across Australia through an on-ground network of volunteers, communities, organisations, government and corporate partners monitoring the impacts of marine debris along the coast and creating Source Reduction Plans.
To date, over 4,400 clean-up sites are registered through Tangaroa Blue Foundation. Take a look at our calendar or Facebook for events in your region.
To keep up to date with our activities you can subscribe to the Tangaroa Blue Foundation newsletter at the end of the page.
Working with us
We are always looking for interns from different fields who can bring their expertise and skills to help support our activities.
Tasks may include:
- Assisting with preparation, participation, reporting and media presentation of beach clean-up events
- Assisting with day-to-day administration, data entry, coordination of events
- Assisting with school visits, training, community presentations and workshops
The length and time of your internship can be negotiated based on your experience, interests and availability. Tangaroa Blue Foundation can supply you with a certificate after the successful completion of your internship. Internship applications open 1 October and close 1 May each year. These are unpaid positions.
To apply for an internship please send a brief email to info@tangaroablue.org with the following information:
- In which state would you like to do your internship?
- How long should your internship last? If there are certain events on the bottom of the Tangaroa Blue Foundation home page that you are interested in please specify these dates.
- If you would like to do an internship for more than a single-day event please specify the days (Monday to Sunday) and times you are available.
- Do you have a car and are you available to travel to clean-up events?
- Briefly describe your experience, skills and interests related to working with Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
We will get back to you to discuss your internship application as soon as possible.
Australian Marine Debris Initiative
The Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) is a national network of over 40,000 volunteers and partners, coordinated by Tangaroa Blue Foundation, focused on reducing the amount of marine debris washing into our oceans.
The objectives of the Australian Marine Debris Initiative are:
- Removing marine debris from the marine environment
- Ongoing monitoring programs
- Collecting scientific data on the type of debris found
- Tracking the debris back to the source wherever possible
- Working with stakeholders to find strategies (Source Reduction Plans) to prevent marine debris occurring in the first place
- Working with partners to divert marine debris, in particular plastics, from landfill
- Providing education resources and presentations on the marine debris issue to increase understanding and awareness
Schools can get involved in the AMDI by adopting a section of your local beach and committing to ongoing removal and monitoring of marine debris at this site. If your school wants to join the AMDI, we can provide you with beach clean-up materials and education resources to help with learning about marine debris and conducting an AMDI clean-up. You can also request a visit from us for school presentations, workshops and to support your school with beach clean-up events.
Please let us know if you are planning a clean-up event to contribute to the AMDI Database at schools@tangaroablue.org or connect with us on Facebook.
The AMDI Database is a great opportunity for students to collect, report, analyse and compare results of other clean-up sites over time. It is free to utilise once you have agreed to the data use agreement.
You can find the following AMDI resources to help your school get involved:
- Marine Debris Education Kit
- Data Sheet for clean-ups
- Manual “How to run a beach clean-up”
- Identification manual for marine debris
- Fact sheets
- Previous reports
- Source Reduction Plans
- videos on how to conduct an AMDI clean-up.
You can either join a Tangaroa Blue Foundation scheduled clean-up or you can organise your own clean-up with support from Tangaroa Blue Foundation. To join a Tangaroa Blue scheduled clean-up event check out our events calendar and contact info@tangaroablue.org if you are interested in participating.
Before planning a clean-up to contribute data to the AMDI Database, please read through our guidelines for submitting data. Also consider the following tips:
- The database will request how much effort was involved in the clean-up, i.e. time spent cleaning, number of people involved, and distance covered
- Take note of the GPS locations of your clean-up so we can link the debris found to the location of your clean-up
- You will need essential materials like clean-up bags, gloves and sharps containers to conduct the clean-up as safely as possible. If you do not have access to these materials, please contact info@tangaroablue.org to discuss this further
We would love to know about any upcoming clean-ups that you are doing using AMDI procedures so please keep in touch via the Tangaroa Blue Foundation Facebook page or via info@tangaroablue.org.
Use our free resources to help with your clean-up:
- Data Sheet for clean-ups
- Manual “How to do a beach clean-up”
- Marine debris identification manual
- Fact sheets
- Source Reduction Plan
- AMDI How to Videos
You can either join a Tangaroa Blue Foundation scheduled clean-up or you can organise your own clean-up with support from Tangaroa Blue Foundation. To join a Tangaroa Blue scheduled clean-up event check out our events calendar and contact info@tangaroablue.org if you are interested in participating.
Before planning a clean-up to contribute data to the AMDI Database, please read through our guidelines for submitting data. Also consider the following tips:
- The database will request how much effort was involved in the clean-up, i.e. time spent cleaning, number of people involved, and distance covered
- Take note of the GPS locations of your clean-up so we can link the debris found to the location of your clean-up
- You will need essential materials like clean-up bags, gloves and sharps containers to conduct the clean-up as safely as possible. If you do not have access to these materials, please contact us to discuss further
We would love to know about any upcoming clean-ups that you are doing using AMDI procedures so please keep in touch via our Facebook page or via info@tangaroablue.org
Use our free resources to help with your clean-up:
- Data Sheet for clean-ups
- Manual “How to do a beach clean-up”
- Marine debris identification manual
- Fact sheets
- Source Reduction Plan
- AMDI How to Videos
We are always looking for potential partnerships to help us continue our work, and donations are gratefully accepted.
Our DGR status (deductible gift recipient) allows us to provide tax receipts for all donations. We are flexible and happy to work within your business strategy and can promote any contribution you make on our Tangaroa Blue Foundation website and social media. You can provide one-off contributions or we can explore a partnership over time.
Some examples of how corporate organisations have partnered with Tangaroa Blue Foundation in the past include:
- Sponsoring a local or remote clean-up event
- Providing support to help Tangaroa Blue Foundation purchase essential equipment for our work or increase staff capacity to coordinate more events around Australia
- Customer-driven programs such as donating to Tangaroa Blue Foundation for every customer that chooses a certain product, e.g. using a re-usable coffee cup
If you would like to explore a partnership with Tangaroa Blue Foundation please contact info@tangaroablue.org or call 0410 166 684. We appreciate your support.
Australian Marine Debris Database
The AMDI database was created to enable volunteers, groups and organisations doing beach clean-ups to collect data and report what they were finding with a consistent methodology.
To date, over 22 million items have been entered into the database creating a comprehensive overview of the quantity and types of marine debris found along the Australian coastline.
For each clean-up the following data is recorded:
- Effort: number of participants and time needed
- Location, length and width of the beach
- Weight and volume of the rubbish collected
- Number of items removed
- Category of each item (e.g. Cigarette butts and filters, bottle caps and lids, plastic bags)
- Material (e.g. plastics, foam, rubber etc.)
- Type of use (e.g. consumer item, packaging, remnant etc.)
- Detailed description of the item (e.g. toy, drink bottle, fishing lure etc.)
- Foreign origin
The AMDI Database provides a detailed picture of marine debris trends over time. It enables us to identify hot spots as well as type and origin of the rubbish collected to create Source Reduction Plans, thus working towards preventing the litter from ending up in the ocean in the first place.
The AMDI Database has an open access policy and allows for a specific set of data reports to be generated for community groups, schools and partner organisations to assist in identifying marine debris trends and creating local Source Reduction Plans.
The AMDI Database also enables scientists and government agencies to request data on marine debris in Australia for educational and research purposes. The contributor always owns the data submitted and the database simply provides a central place for all data to be stored allowing people to access and analyse information about marine debris for different locations, over time.
Once you have accepted the data use agreement for the database, you can access and search the report systems by time period and location to find out:
- The top 10 debris items
- The number and location of clean-ups
- Type of materials found
- Percentage of materials found
- Percentage of materials found from land and sea
- Map of clean-up site
Learn more about the AMDI Database
The AMDI Database has an open access policy enabling scientists, government agencies, communities and organisations to request data on marine debris in Australia for educational and research purposes. The contributor always owns the data submitted whilst the database provides a central place for all data to be stored, allowing people to access and analyse information about marine debris for different locations over time.
Once you have accepted the conditions of use agreement for the AMDI database here you can freely search a range of reports on marine debris and find out:
- The top 10 debris items
- The number and location of clean-ups
- Type of materials found
- Percentage of materials found
- Percentage of land and sea based items found
- Comparison of material found between two different sites or dates
- Map of clean-up site
If you or your organisation would like to request data for educational or research purposes please download and complete the Custom Dataset Request Form located here and submit this to data@tangaroablue.org.
If you would like to use the data publicly for any purposes, both the Australian Marine Debris Initiative and the data contributor must be acknowledged. Please contact us if you would like assistance with this.
Charity tax concessions
Donate
Donating to Tangaroa Blue Foundation is easy. Here are some simple ways you can help us to continue to protect the marine environment:
- Donate with your credit card via Stripe by clicking the Donate Now button in the top left
- Download the Donation Form and send to info@tangaroablue.org
- Shop at our online Sea Store for sustainable products and clothes. All money from your purchases goes straight back into Tangaroa Blue projects
- Donate to us at no extra cost whilst shopping online via Shopnate. Hundreds of famous retailers give a percentage of the cost of your purchase to a charity of your choice.
Inviting Tangaroa Blue Foundation to visit or to events
If you are part of a school that would like to join the Australian Marine Debris Initiative, we can help provide you with beach clean-up materials, a marine debris education kit and identification manuals and fact sheets to help with increasing learning and clean-up outcomes.
We can visit your school to do presentations, workshops and help you coordinate beach clean-ups. Please contact Tangaroa Blue Foundation at info@tangaroablue.org and let us know how we can help.
Please note: to make sure we can be available, please notify Tangaroa Blue Foundation at least two weeks prior to event dates. While we try and accommodate all requests, we may need to charge a fee to cover presentation costs.
Tangaroa Blue Foundation is experienced in presenting to a diverse audience from across Australia and overseas. We have an engaging, enthusiastic team of staff that can present at conferences, community celebration days, workshops, working groups, contribute to advisory groups or help run a community beach clean-up in your area. Get in touch.
Please notify Tangaroa Blue Foundation at least two weeks prior to your scheduled activity so we can make sure we are available. While we try and accommodate all requests, we may need to charge a fee to cover presentation costs.
Media
You can download a range of our logo formats for the Australian Marine Debris Initiative and Tangaroa Blue Foundation . You can also find the Tangaroa Blue Foundation Style Guide (2012) which explains the conditions of use.
You can download the Tangaroa Blue Foundation Style Guide. This includes details of condition of use, Tangaroa Blue Foundation common terminology, logos, fonts, branding and corporate marketing, and examples of acceptable uses of our logos.
