The Torres Strait Regional Authority’s (TSRA) Badu Rangers and Land and Sea Management Unit, recently partnered with Tangaroa Blue Foundation to host a ‘Great Barrier Reef Clean-Up’ event.

The Great Barrier Reef clean-up is an annual event that is designed to remove marine debris from waterways and develop a better understanding of how debris travels and arrives in the region.

Tangaroa Blue Foundation is a leading not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine debris and data on the marine debris collected will now be entered into the Australian Marine Debris database.

More than 100 people participated in the event including school students, My Pathway participants, Council Staff, community members, Elders and Traditional Owners.

The aim of the event was to remove marine debris and other wasteonBadu’s south-eastern beaches from the jetty to the airport, which stretch over 2.3km.

Participants removed 52 large bags of rubbish weighing over 250kg before celebrating their hard work with a community BBQ.

TSRA Chairperson, Mr Napau Pedro Stephen AM, said the Great Barrier Reef Clean-Up event was a great initiative that engages the local community in the current and future wellbeing of their environment.

“It is inspiring to see the Badu Rangers, the LSMU Sea Team and the Tangaroa Blue Foundation working together with the Badu community to clean up our waterways and shoreline,” Mr Stephen said.

“It is also important to note that the Rangers and the Tangaroa Blue Foundation will sort the rubbish in order to determine where it comes from.

“This knowledge will in turn, help to track the source of the marine debris so that more work can be done to address litter at its source.”

Marine debris in the Torres Strait comes predominantly from Indonesia or off passing vessels and at the Badu clean up, it was established that the rubbish was a mix of international waste and local waste, which was a good reminder to residents to be careful about disposal of their own litter.

During the month of October, seven communities in the Cape region participated in marine debris removal events hosted by Tangaroa Blue Foundation to clean-up the reef.

Pictured: More than 100 participants engaged in the Great Barrier Reef Clean-up event on Badu.