Project surveys beach rubbish
The kahawai were running at North Mole last week, with dozens of vehicles parked three deep, but four of us were there to collect rubbish.
The Litter Intelligence Survey is a nationwide project that analyses and records rubbish found at estuarine and beach areas every three months.
Measuring 100 metres along the high tide mark at Morgan St Beach and 10m on either side was the job of the three women who turned up on Tuesday last week to conduct the third litter survey since April this year.
Setting up the survey site is easy with the kit supplied by Sustainable Coastlines, the nongovernmental organisation charged with providing training to community groups who want to participate in the citizen science project.
Trained citizen scientist “monitoring groups” follow an official litter data collection methodology to ensure scientific rigour. Inorganic objects 5mm or more in size are collected.
Sustainable Whanganui is the local monitoring group which stores the kit in crates between surveys, and lead citizen scientist and WRRC enviroeducator Ron Fisher rallies the troops.
The Morgan St Beach site is one of 83 nationwide in the Litter Intelligence project.
Tui Solomon of Castlecliff was fishing, but was curious about the pink hi-vis vests so joined the team.
Fifty-six items were found last week. They included two jandals, three aluminium cans, fishing line and 14 pieces of treated timber weighing 10.688kg. Most items collected were made of plastic.
Plastic drench capsule casings have been found during all three visits. They are designed to stay in an animal’s rumen (stomach) and leach out pathogens. “I’m sure they’re not meant to be washed out to sea at the end of their life,” says Ron.
The next survey is on a February evening so families can attend.