On 23 October 2014 the Sustainable Coastlines crew took out staff from our long-term supporter Yealands Family Wines. Sustainable Coastlines has worked first hand with crew from the Marlborough team in the past, however this was the first time we’d been able to head to the beach with their Auckland office.

Before heading out to the coast the we delivered our Love your Coast educational presentation, which demonstrates the challenges and impacts of litter in our oceans, the significance of participating in a beach cleanup, and the importance of choosing alternatives to disposable plastics.

With increased motivation to go out there and get stuck into cleaning up rubbish, the crew made their way out to the beautiful Tahuna Torea Reserve near the mouth of the Tamaki River. After a quick team talk, Yealands crew spread out along the coast and set to the task of removing as much rubbish as possible. Weather had been ominous during the morning, however as anticipated the drizzle cleared for a pleasant afternoon.

Along a coastline that appeared relatively clean, the dedicated group managed to collect an impressive 350 litres of rubbish, most of which was single use plastic. Upon returning to base, an afternoon lunch was served consisting of a gourmet BBQ and a selection of delicious salads.

After lunch, we spread out all the rubbish to have a look at what the items commonly were, discussed how these items made their way onto the coastlines, and what threats they would be to wildlife.

A huge thank you must be extended to the team at Yealands Family Wines, for not only helping us keep out coastlines clean, but also for providing wonderful wines for our charity ball last month that enabled us to raise over thirty thousand dollars to continue to deliver our educational programs and clean-ups.