Volunteers clean up 34kg of rubbish from Exmouth’s Town Beach after solar eclipse mania

The arrival of more than 20,000 visitors into Exmouth for the total solar eclipse in late April spelled trouble in paradise for the pristine coastal town. The Shire of Exmouth, Keep Australia Beautiful, Cape Conservation and Sea Shepherd collaborated to cover 3km of Town Beach during a clean-up event with 30 volunteers lending a helping hand. Between them, 1550 pieces of rubbish were collected, totalling to 34kg of litter. The bulk of the collection showed 312 cigarette butts, 177 pieces of solid plastic, 139 broken glasses, 130 pieces of paper and 112 pieces of plastic film. It was the first joint effort between the three non-profit organisations and the Shire, but will not be the last according to Shire president Darlene Allston “We believe that all litter is preventable, and encourage our visitors, residents and businesses to be a part of the solution to keep Exmouth clean and pristine — on land and sea,” she said. “The council is happy to collaborate ongoingly with Keep Australia Beautiful. We are realising regular projects since 2020 and are just about to launch our marine litter bag initiative before looking into opportunities for the coming years.” The clean-up happens after Exmouth won the Community Containers for Change Award for most effectively using its 10¢ container deposit scheme refunds, with more than 1.64 million containers recycled and $164,000 raised by the community.