Staff in AFG’s head office spent a Friday afternoon in February helping create a cleaner Australia.
The team of 30 participants picked up some 582 pieces of rubbish weighing 15.76kg, in North Cottesloe, Perth.
The event was organised by AFG’s Green Team, in partnership with Perth NRM (Natural Resource Management) and the Town of Cottesloe.
Rubbish collected included multiple soft drink cans, bottle lids, parts of foam cups, an empty paint tin, a mask, fishing twine, full and parts plastic bags and a couple of items of discarded clothing.
Not only have the participating staff contributed to a cleaner environment, rubbish collected from the beach was recorded and will be used by Perth NRM to help inform environmental policy.
In addition to the clean up, Perth NRM environmental leaders Nora Larry and Vanessa McGuiness delivered a talk on ocean plastics and AFG staff had the opportunity to look through microscopes at some of the more interesting items found on the beach.
Green Team member Shelley Forster said although Cottesloe may be considered one of the pristine beaches in Perth it was amazing to see how much rubbish was present in the sand and at the edge of the dunes.
“We know Cottesloe gets very busy on the weekends but we did start the day wondering if we could really make an impact given it always appears very clean and tidy. However, when looking closely there were actually plenty of small pieces of rubbish and debris to be found and removed,” she said.
“Our buckets quickly filled, demonstrating plenty of rubbish is left or washes up on the beach, potentially polluting our oceans and harming marine life.”
“It’s good to know AFG has made a difference and has contributed to a cleaner beach environment.
“Participating staff also left the event with an increased awareness of the threat that plastics and other debris present to our oceans.”
