Abrolhos Islands debris turned to artwork at sustainability exhibition hosted by Latitude Jewellers

Nothing beats the feeling of volunteers putting their hands up to help clean our beaches, except when artists compete to upcycle that rubbish into reusable products.

Flotsam and Jetsam by Latitude Jewellers is back for another year when artists come together to create products from the best bits of rubbish cleaned up from the Mid West’s beloved Abrolhos Islands.

On March 4, more than 25 volunteers travelled to the island to clean waste.

Then on Monday, they returned to Fisherman’s Wharf where artists and eco-lovers were waiting to snap up all the collected debris and recycle into prized possessions.

With more than 100 entries into the competition, the candidates have until April 19 to transform the pieces of plastic debris that caught their eyes into pieces of art.

Pioneer of Flotsam and Jetsam Pia Boschetti said the exhibition was one way of clearing rubbish from the Abrolhos Islands and studying how it is polluting birds’ nests.

“There is a lot of benefit for the island, we get to clean up and take all this rubbish away. Dr Christopher Surman at Halfmoon Biosciences has been studying the Abrolhos Islands for over 30 years and he analyses how much rubbish are in birds’ nest and whether it’s decreasing,“ she said.

Mrs Boschetti said this year’s Flotsam and Jetsam theme was nautical, meaning creators would turn waste into navigational products.

“I’m expecting to see compasses, charts and boat and shipwreck replicas. Maybe some Southern Cross celestial navigation tools and we have one award for wearable art, so I’m expecting some magnificent wearable clothing,” she said.

The category winners will be announced at the exhibition opening night on April 30, with the community having the opportunity to vote for their favourite piece.

The exhibition is open to the public from May 1 to May 28 at Latitude Jewellers.