Australia is renowned for its breathtaking coastlines and pristine beaches, but a recent discovery on a remote beach has cast a shadow over this idyllic image, revealing a devastating environmental issue that's affecting not only the beauty of our shores but also the health of our marine life.

Rangers from the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation in North East Arnhem Land, a vast and wild region in the northeast corner of the Northern Territory, have raised the alarm over the staggering amounts of plastic and rubbish washing up on their land. The accumulation of waste, particularly plastic fishing gear and fragments, is not only an eyesore but a lethal hazard to wildlife, with the South-easterly winds and tides contributing to the problem.

The Dhimurru Rangers, who are the custodians of this land, are now urging the federal government to take decisive action. They are advocating for stronger penalties for plastic pollution and for Australia to join the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, an international alliance dedicated to addressing the issue of ghost fishing gear – any discarded, lost, or abandoned fishing equipment in the marine environment.

Dhimurru Rangers in North East Arnhem Land tackle growing plastic and rubbish on their beaches caused by winds and tides. Credit: Shutterstock

The local communities, deeply connected to their land and sea, are heartbroken by the sight of their once-pristine beaches marred by mountains of marine rubbish. Senior Ranger Wanga Mununggurritj spoke of the emotional toll it takes on the Yolngu people to see animals entangled in ghost nets and consuming plastic, which is not only distressing but also poses a significant threat to the marine ecosystem.

In a stark illustration of the scale of the problem, a two-week cleanup operation in October 2022, conducted by the Dhimurru Rangers in partnership with Sea Shepherd, removed an astonishing 10.4 tonnes of rubbish from just 4.5 kilometres of shoreline. This haul included 9.3 tonnes of consumer plastics and waste, along with 1.1 tonnes of discarded fishing nets.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society's Plastics Campaign Manager, Cip Hamilton, has echoed the rangers' call for urgent action. With an estimated 170 trillion pieces of plastic floating in our oceans, the challenge of recovery is immense. Plastics do not decompose; instead, they break up into smaller fragments that circulate through the oceans, causing harm to wildlife and potentially impacting human health.

Australia's relationship with plastic is troubling. The nation sees approximately 130,000 tonnes of plastic leak into the marine environment each year. Despite the increasing awareness and concern over plastic pollution, our consumption of plastic continues to rise, with projections suggesting a doubling by 2040. Shockingly, by 2050, it's estimated that there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.

The statistics are grim: one million tonnes of Australia's annual plastic consumption is single-use, 84 per cent of plastic waste ends up in landfills, and only a paltry 13 per cent is recycled. The discovery of the equivalent of 60 two-litre plastic milk bottles per metre of coast in North East Arnhem Land is a stark reminder of the urgent need for change.

As members of the Seniors Discount Club, we have a responsibility to help future generations address this issue. We can start by reducing our own plastic use, supporting initiatives that clean up our beaches, and advocating for policies that tackle plastic pollution at its source.

Key Takeaways

• Dhimurru Rangers from North East Arnhem Land are faced with an ever-increasing accumulation of plastic and rubbish on their beaches, particularly due to south-easterly winds and tides.
• The rangers are advocating for the federal government to help address the issue by implementing stronger penalties for plastic pollution and joining the Global Ghost Gear initiative.
• A two-week cleanup by the rangers and Sea Shepherd resulted in 10.4 tonnes of rubbish collected, affecting local wildlife and frustrating the Yolngu people.
• There is a call for urgent action to tackle the issue of plastic pollution in Australian waters, with statistics illustrating the vast and growing problem of plastic waste in marine environments.

We invite you to share your thoughts and experiences on this issue. Have you participated in local beach cleanups? Do you have ideas on how we can reduce our plastic footprint? Let's come together to protect the stunning Australian coastline that we all cherish.

 

[Lisa]

I honestly do not believe this. Did someone deliberately drop that there? I know beaches do get things washed up on them but this is ridiculous considering the amount..

 

[scifibob]

yes not a real picture the labels are still on the bottles so they have not been in the water for any length of time--there are spots where stuff drifts to with prevailing currents and its a mess plastic everywhere so why bother with a fake picture
maybe they need to talk to the local community about that lot
having been a marine engineer I have seen crap in the oceans and its not good but most of it comes down from 3rd world countries [oh I forgot were one of those now with people to lazy to bin stuff]

 

[marni]

Do we really think we can fine Asian countries where I have seen truck emptying plastic garbage g loads into rivers, which join oceans. Plastics are both a saviour and a scourge in our planet.

 

[Luckyus]

I notice it's their land until there's a problem and then they the government to bail them out, here's an idead for them get up off your arse and pick it up.

 

[Turns]

I write in response to several of the issues raised in this article authored by Gian T, I received this morning

Australia is renowned for its breathtaking coastlines and pristine beaches, but a recent discovery on a remote beach has cast a shadow over this idyllic image, revealing a devastating environmental issue that's affecting not only the beauty of our shores but also the health of our marine life.

RESPONSE: Australia's top-end is continually inundated with irresponsibly discarded waste plastic materials carried by ocean actions primarily from Indonesia according to international research and remaining on container labels. With the 'ghost' fishing gear it is almost impossible to identify any prior ownership.

Rangers from the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation in North East Arnhem Land, a vast and wild region in the northeast corner of the Northern Territory, have raised the alarm over the staggering amounts of plastic and rubbish washing up on their land. The accumulation of waste, particularly plastic fishing gear and fragments, is not only an eyesore but a lethal hazard to wildlife, with the South-easterly winds and tides contributing to the problem.

RESPONSE: This underlines the issues of overseas waste plastic indiscriminate disposal habits - primarily as the materials are being perceived as having no monetary value.

The Dhimurru Rangers, who are the custodians of this land, are now urging the federal government to (i) take decisive action. They are advocating for (ii) stronger penalties for plastic pollution and (iii) for Australia to join the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, an international alliance dedicated to addressing the issue of ghost fishing gear – any discarded, lost, or abandoned fishing equipment in the marine environment.

RESPONSE (i): Yes the federal government is seemingly hastening slowly on decisive action due to multiple of issues the most vexing being what can these waste plastic materials be used for that is commercially viable, environmentally sustainable and at the end of that use, be again and again reprocessed?
The federal government is really part way to a resolution with their discussions on producer/importer responsibility which could provide a per Kg value per plastic item similar to container collection schemes.
However, the issue deepens in that plastic products may be made from one of 7 different material grades (1 PET, 2 HDPE, 3 PVC, 4 LDPE, 5 PP, 6 PS and 7 other such as ABS etc) then in each grade there are hard and soft materials, with each grade having a different processing (melt) temperature.
Therefore when collected from the shoreline the 7 grades of plastic product types are all mixed together and at some point will need sorting, then there is the transport cost to an acceptable reprocessing capability.

RESPONSE (ii): Unfortunately, stronger Australian waste plastic littering/dumping penalties will make little difference to Northern Australian shoreline volumes, due to them being of overseas origins.

RESPONSE (iii): The Australian Government have already launched the GHOST NETS INNITIATIVE as a starting step to resolve this issue in northern Australia but as yet have not identified what to do with the waste. (Please see my Note #1 below).

The local communities, deeply connected to their land and sea, are heartbroken by the sight of their once-pristine beaches marred by mountains of marine rubbish. Senior Ranger Wanga Mununggurritj spoke of the emotional toll it takes on the Yolngu people to see animals entangled in ghost nets and consuming plastic, which is not only distressing but also poses a significant threat to the marine ecosystem.
In a stark illustration of the scale of the problem, a two-week cleanup operation in October 2022, conducted by the Dhimurru Rangers in partnership with Sea Shepherd, removed an astonishing 10.4 tonnes of rubbish from just 4.5 kilometres of shoreline. This haul included 9.3 tonnes of consumer plastics and waste, along with 1.1 tonnes of discarded fishing nets.

RESPONSE: Yes to see once pristine beaches now littered with tons of waste plastic flotsam is heart breaking. As to what was done with the October 2022 collected waste plastic materials I presume it unfortunately all went to landfill. (Please see my Note #1 below).

The Australian Marine Conservation Society's Plastics Campaign Manager, Cip Hamilton, has echoed the rangers' call for urgent action. With an estimated 170 trillion pieces of plastic floating in our oceans, the challenge of recovery is immense. Plastics do not decompose; instead, they break up into smaller fragments that circulate through the oceans, causing harm to wildlife and potentially impacting human health.

RESPONSE: The main ocean plastic polluting countries are Indonesia, China, Philippines and India with waste plastics carried from road side drains into streams, into rivers and out into the ocean so there needs to be an impetus within these countries to interdicted the used plastics 'throw-away' habits. (Please see my Note #2 below).

Australia's relationship with plastic is troubling. The nation sees approximately 130,000 tonnes of plastic leak into the marine environment each year. Despite the increasing awareness and concern over plastic pollution, our consumption of plastic continues to rise, with projections suggesting a doubling by 2040. Shockingly, by 2050, it's estimated that there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.
The statistics are grim: one million tonnes of Australia's annual plastic consumption is single-use, 84 per cent of plastic waste ends up in landfills, and only a paltry 13 per cent is recycled. The discovery of the equivalent of 60 two-litre plastic milk bottles per metre of coast in North East Arnhem Land is a stark reminder of the urgent need for change.

RESPONSE: Without doubt there is a degree of Australian waste plastic leakage into the ocean and until there are Australian domiciled processes to interdict these materials the leakage will continue.

Of the 7 Plastic grades only 3 (PET / HDPE and PP) are recycled due the commercial demand for the recyclates so until a commercially sustainable process is available for the other 4 grades landfill will remain the primary disposal avenue

As members of the Seniors Discount Club, we have a responsibility to help future generations address this issue. We can start by reducing our own plastic use, supporting initiatives that clean up our beaches, and advocating for policies that tackle plastic pollution at its source.
Key Takeaways
• Dhimurru Rangers from North East Arnhem Land are faced with an ever-increasing accumulation of plastic and rubbish on their beaches, particularly due to south-easterly winds and tides.
• The rangers are advocating for the federal government to help address the issue by implementing stronger penalties for plastic pollution and joining the Global Ghost Gear initiative.
• A two-week cleanup by the rangers and Sea Shepherd resulted in 10.4 tonnes of rubbish collected, affecting local wildlife and frustrating the Yolngu people.
• There is a call for urgent action to tackle the issue of plastic pollution in Australian waters, with statistics illustrating the vast and growing problem of plastic waste in marine environments.

We invite you to share your thoughts and experiences on this issue. Have you participated in local beach cleanups? Do you have ideas on how we can reduce our plastic footprint? Let's come together to protect the stunning Australian coastline that we all cherish.

COMMENT: I have been involved with Australian plastics extrusion and injection moulding for may years and the remanufacturing of waste plastics into new products for 20 years and as a keen diver have alarmingly witnessed the growth of ocean and coastline despoilation.

Recognising the need for an urgent international resolution to this waste plastics crisis I investigated many potential technologies and have now found two.
One in the United States with the scalable capacity to initiate a sustainable answer in multiple countries and one here in Australia ideal for handling northern Australian coast line small volumes.
These technologies are different but can handled comingled contaminated plastics and produce long-life, virtually no- maintenance building materials and consumer products.

NOTE #1 - The United States technology uniquely co-processes all 7 grades of waste plastic into profiles and mouldings at the rate of 800 kgs per machine which is ideal for large population cities and regions.

Note #2 - The Australian technology is much smaller in size and also able to process co-mixed waste plastics so offers a potential resolution to the Northern Australian Communities.

 

[novezar]

My take is, looking at the provided photo, there appears to be quite a few "Bob" lying around. Some one should put one of those "Return for Cash" dumpsters there to help alleviate part of the problem. The "Locals" could make a killing. But there again, they might 'Kill" that idea down with having to having to "Work".