On 24 October from 10am to 2pm, the Spring into Scavenge Burleigh Heads will be organising a free community beach clean-up, clothes swap and waste education event called Spring into Scavenge at Justins Park.
A collaboration between three waste-wise organisations, Boomerang Bags, Seaside Scavenge and Plastic Pollution Solutions, known as the Travelling Trash Troupe, will deliver a comprehensive, three-pronged approach to litter reduction and single-use plastic awareness on the Gold Coast to inspire, enable and empower community collaboration.
In addition to various talks, meaningful action and ongoing initiatives, the Scavenge involves a unique beach clean-up where the litter collected becomes a currency to purchase quality pre-loved clothes, native plants and reusable goods donated by the local community to incentivise action.
For every 500g of litter collected by participants, they are rewarded with one Trash Token to use in the pop-up market. Participants will learn how to separate and catalogue rubbish to capture data for the Australian Marine Debris Database alongside volunteers from local community groups including Sea Shepherd, Surfrider Foundation and Sustainable Schools Network.
Anthony Hill, from Plastic Pollution Solutions, will open the event at 10am with an acknowledgement of country. Followed by performances by talented local musicians including Shae Reid, Felicity Kircher and Luke Bennett, who will keep participants entertained with funky tunes. MC Hill will also be hosting engaging, educational and environmental conversations with community leaders and businesses throughout the day.
You will hear from Sustainability Manager of Stone and Wood Brewing Co, James Perrin, Plastic Free Gold Coast, QLD General Manager of Envirobank, Chris Chamberlin, on how to use your rubbish to support the community, and local fashion designer, Marie Baeza from Minimalist The Label, who uses recycled textiles, on the impacts of fast fashion, among many others.
There will also be prizes up for the taking for most litter collected, most cigarette butts and the weirdest item, donated by local businesses including Heartfill and Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre, as well as Surfrider Foundation Ocean Friendly accredited breweries, Black Hops Beer and Stone and Wood for adults only. Surfrider will also be asking participants to nominate their favourite cafés to become Ocean Friendly, to stop excessive plastic entering our waterways, which will be explored post-event to create a positive legacy.
“I’m excited to join forces with community leaders to bring an interactive community activation event to the Gold Coast, after all Australia alone is the custodian of 20% of the ocean and together we can prevent 130,000 million tonnes of plastic waste leaving the Australian shorelines each year,” Local Scavenge Coordinator and Climate Reality Leader, Charlotte Wright, said.
“This is a great opportunity to connect the community with a few of the wonderful organisations around that protect our coasts in a laid-back and safe setting, and to get all the scavengers stoked on getting more involved in looking after our beaches,” Murray Morris, Scavenge Coordinator and Surfrider Foundation volunteer added.
“The Scavenge is about using a fun and positive approach to bring diverse communities together to realise the true value of waste and turn it into a resource, rather than something we throw ‘away’ – because there is no away,” Seaside Scavenge Founder & CEO, Anna Jane Linke explained.
To attend the Spring into Scavenge Burleigh Heads, please be sure to register online through the Eventbrite link. Attendees are required to come down in their allocated hour time slot to ensure the flow and number of people at the event is in accordance with state Covid-19 restrictions. Seaside Scavenge is closely monitoring state regulations and advises all attendees must bring a mask, their own gloves, a bag for litter and a healthy self! Hand sanitiser will be provided at the event. Please adhere by the 1.5m rule and respect the guidance of volunteers.
The event is organised in collaboration with Seaside Scavenge Ltd. which is a not-for-profit organisation who have been cleaning up our waterways since 2015. Seaside Scavenge is on a mission to educate unaware communities and businesses about the value of plastic and textile ‘waste’ through fun and unique programs that inspire participants to reimagine rubbish as a resource and ultimately clean up the ocean.
To find out more details visit here or Facebook events page and look for your local listing.
