By Margaret Maccoll
Volunteers were surprised to find two crocs in the Noosa River during the Clean Up Australia campaign on Sunday.
Both were harmless and were added to the multiple bags of rubbish, much of it plastic, picked up across the Shire.
A set of BMW keys located under the bridge near the Sofitel was also a stand out item among the trash which included fishing lines, crab pots and lots of plastic.
Teams of people gathered at about 30 sites across the shire with the Noosa River a target of this year’s clean up campaign.
Plastic Free Noosa were employed by the Boomerang Alliance at the event to categorise collection samples of the waste to create a baseline of data for comparison with future clean ups.
Free Plastic Noosa manager Kellie Lindsay said in analysing eight sacks of rubbish and found about 40 per cent or 192 drink bottles which would have earned about $19 with a refundable program, half a bag of plastic bags and another half of plastic remnants.
There were 92 fish-shaped soy sauce containers, 68 plastic straws, 240 bottle tops and 118 cigarette butts.
Kellie said the results would be compared with next year’s clean up after the single use plastic bag ban is introduced mid-year.
Noosa Integrated Catchment Association (NICA) spokesman Tony Haslam led a groups of Noosa Integrated Catchment Association (NICA) volunteers including river ranges who regularly monitor the river for water quality, bird life and collect rubbish.
Noosa Kayaks lent their boats to volunteers to access parts of the river not reachable by larger vessels. The group found plenty of plastic bottle lids and pull rings as well as bait bags, lost thongs and hats.
Also collecting rubbish was Ellis Spooner and his sons Murray and Cameron. The boys initiated an online campaign, Strawless March, to reduce the use of plastic straws this month.Other organisations collecting included Scouts, Noosa Dolphins, Noosa Rotary, Noosa Lions, Noosa Coast Guard, Bushcare and school groups, and the 4WD club and Sea Scouts.
