02 July 2024
A student Environment Action Team has taken to the beach in Broome to clean up marine litter with the aim of protecting the ocean.
Roebuck Primary School students joined forces with the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) and spent the morning at the Gantheaume Beach combing the sand for litter and other discarded or lost items found along the shore.
AMDI is a network of communities, schools, industries, government agencies and individuals focused on reducing the volume of marine debris washing into the ocean.
Roebuck Primary School students and staff filled several bags with beach litter.
Pre-primary teacher Alex Guthrie said it was the first time they have collaborated with AMDI, and that it was a student who first suggested the project to the school.
“A student visited a Tangaroa Blue project whilst holidaying in Timor-Leste. She came back and presented her idea to get involved with the project to the student Environment Action team,” Mrs Guthrie said.
Early one morning, students, staff and volunteer parents combed the beach for unwanted items. By the end of the clean-up, they had filled multiple bags with discarded bottles, cans, clothing, paper. They even found a lost set of keys.
The rubbish was weighed and sorted, with the data going to AMDI to be used to help combat marine debris.
“The students and I found it so interesting to see the items we found and the varying quantities in different categories,” said Mrs Guthrie.
“It was great to see very minimal single use plastic items which hopefully is a testament to reduction in the use of these items.
The litter was weighed and sorted once the students returned to school.
“There was a lot of glass bottles and broken glass, which was probably the most concerning to students.”
Year 6 student Oliver Williams said it was a great opportunity to clean up the beach, but it was gross to see how much rubbish there actually was, including how many clothes they collected.
“By cleaning up even a little bit of the rubbish it can make a big impression on someone else, and they can help clean up our precious country of Australia,” he said.
Year 4 student Billie Dearing said it’s important to protect the environment otherwise animal habitats will be filled with rubbish.
“It was cool seeing how much rubbish we collected but sad because that’s a lot of rubbish other people could have picked up,” she said.
Mrs Guthrie said it’s incredibly important to have environmental programs, such as the Environmental Student Action Team, and for students to be involved in conservation.
“By creating environmental awareness in students, we hope to foster the next generation of environmental warriors to help protect and preserve our natural environments in Broome and beyond,” she said.