Clean Creeks

Did you know litter travels from land to our Great Barrier Reef through stormwater run-off?

While some may believe an innocent chip packet or cigarette won’t cause any harm. The truth is, 100,000 marine mammals die every year around the world, due to plastic pollution.

In Australia, 130,000 tonnes of plastic is dumped into our oceans yearly.

Working with the Reef Guardian Councils program, alongside Indigenous Rangers from Madjaybana, Mandingalbay and Gimuy, as well as students from Trinity Anglican School, we have captured the scale of Cairns’ litter problem and the damage it is causing. Acknowledgements to Tangaroa Blue whose work is also showcased in the video below.

Care for land and sea

As part of this ambitious initiative, Cairns Regional Council has partnered with Reef Guardian Councils and Clean Up Australia to produce the Clean Creeks campaign in efforts to reduce litter in urban waterways.

In the lead-up to the annual wet season, heavy rains can wash rubbish into the ocean, threatening marine life and polluting the Great Barrier Reef.

We encourage you to care for land and sea by sharing the campaign with your community. Please see below resources for your convenience:

How can you help!

Here are some ways to protect our marine life:

Lead by example - Always put your rubbish in the bin to set a positive example for everyone around you.
Call out your friends - Encourage them to put their rubbish in a bin too, making a positive impact collectively.
Join community clean ups - Pick up litter when you see it and join a community clean up in your area.
Create change - Talk to your work, school or club about replacing problem items so they don’t become litter.

To learn more about how your community can get involved, please visit cairns.qld.gov.au/cleanup

If you have any questions, please contact the Cairns Regional Council Sustainability team:

Email: sustainability@cairns.qld.gov.au or phone (07) 4044 3253