We’ve just released the findings from Phase I of our River Warriors program on the Brunswick River in northern New South Wales! Our Report and Report Card highlighted our surveys over the past 11 months, in which 54 volunteers collected 5,621 items, weighing in at 762kg over just 5.7km of the river!
The Bruns scored an F+ on our report card, reflecting an extremely high number of pieces found per km travelled, multiple unmitigated sources of debris, as well as a high proportion of plastics and polystyrene.
While local residents and Council may feel bad about this result, it highlights the enormous issues that litter and waste have on our rivers, estuaries, ocean and marine life and serves as a great baseline for improvement.
We’ll be kicking off Phase II of the project in the coming weeks to move towards an A rating, as well as to look at other factors influencing ecosystem health in the Brunswick River.
An enormous thank you to Patagonia and Byron Shire Council for funding this project through their Environmental Grants Program, as well as to our local partners and sponsors Byron Bay Eco Cruises and Kayaks, Byron Bay Brewery, Southern Cross Credit Union and Happy Travels.
