The volunteers of Ocean Crusaders have been continuing their mission to remove rubbish from the region’s waterways with their first trip of the year completed last week.
Husband and wife duo Andi and Gemma Ross spent five days on the Burnett River, working to clear away microplastics and smaller pieces of rubbish from the area.
“We have now moved on to maintenance trips which is what we have completed over the past few days,” the duo said.
“All the big stuff has been taken and removed and now we are just working to collect the smaller stuff which has come from the recent rainfall.
“The majority is microplastics that have come from consumer single-use plastics such as sushi soy fish, plastic bags and bait bags.
“The microplastics are never ending; it seems to be a case of the more you look the more you see.”
Andi and Gemma encouraged residents to volunteer to take part in upcoming clean up events and said keeping the region’s waterways clean was a whole-of-community approach.
“We are professional mariners, so we care about the waterways, but it is not exactly the best job in the world, it is just something that has to be done and someone has to do it,” they said.
“The more people that do it the better because it is the one-way spiral if we don’t.
“This is a way to educate and raise awareness, but it definitely is not the solution as waste will continue to fill our waterways unless we tackle the source.
“At the end of the day, it is better to be doing something and this is what we are passionate about, as well as helping to protect the marine life.”
Volunteering for a clean up trip is easy, with people encouraged to visit the Ocean Crusaders website to find out more information.
“It is super easy to volunteer, you just have to jump on the website and keep an eye out for updates about when the events or clean ups are happening,” the duo said.
“We are always looking for people to come out and help.”
Other stories: Robotti set to revolutionise farming
