What are the most common items found on beach clean-ups?
That depends on where you do your clean-up!
For example, a clean-up in Cape York (QLD) will show a very different picture than one in Port Phillip Bay (WA). We know this because we collect detailed data on what we find at every Tangaroa Blue clean-up!
What does the overall data tell us?
The majority of the items we find across Australia are plastic. Over 85% in fact!
The most common item we find in remote areas like Cape York is hard plastic fragments and remnants, much of which has washed ashore with ocean currents, showing the true legacy of plastic when left in our environment.
Closer to our cities and urban areas, the most common litter items are cigarette butts, confectionery wrappers, and takeaway food and drink containers.
How much marine debris do you usually find?
Data from the AMDI Database reveal striking contrasts between sites. Beaches such as Pallarenda (Queensland) and Lakes Entrance (Victoria) show steady but relatively low debris accumulation during Tangaroa Blue’s quarterly citizen-science monitoring. In contrast, remote hotspots such as Greta Beach (Christmas Island) and Cape York can experience staggering loads, with volunteers recording up to 3 tonnes of debris per kilometre.