‘The Litter We Found Is Litter That Human Beings Have Thrown Away’

So what? Not news? A blue plastic pen lid degraded by UV light from the sun and broken into much smaller pieces over the course of its journey around the Derwent River is not news? Well, it was big news for Rosny College’s two Marine Biology classes. The aim of their Marine Biology investigation was to comprehensively survey Bellerive Beach for litter. Transect and quadrat sampling techniques were employed randomly to ensure fair testing of entry and exit points along the length of Bellerive Beach. Sampling along each transect from the emergent sand-dune level, through the dominant debris line, down to the water was incorporated with a 3-4cm excavation of sand in quadrats. The sand collected was sieved for litter. So began the budding marine biologists' understanding of the difference between wanton littering and accumulated litter. Hidden litter. Litter changing. Litter degradation by biotic and abiotic factors. The prevalence of litter is sorted by colour, shape, type, and size. Microplastics of all colours, soft white foam beads from bean bags, cigarette butts and clear film-like plastic dominated all sampling sites.

The question. . .Who or what was the winner? No one would think nature. Thinking about nature, a word comes to mind. Pristine. A word that means that something is in its original condition. Pristine would not apply to Bellerive Beach. Of the many dog walkers who showed interest in our beach litter surveys, canine controllers of all shapes and sizes were impressed at our vigour. Unimpressed with our bags of litter. Provocatively talking to young people who have only known a world of plastic straws,  lamenting better days of pristine beaches of their childhood. Pristine, that word again.

Go to YouTube, and type in Henderson Island. Blowout. Now you can enter the ethical debate that will occur for you, a place for quiet contemplation the next time you cut off the clear plastic nib to a cone which you intend to attach to a silicon tube used in a caulking gun. The Vanilla Coke bottle top fumbled about in a beach bag. The smoky dart of temptation pushed into the sand forever to hide its danger. The object you see wash into an open stormwater drain after a deluge. We picked them all up. What is further to this story? Who to blame? Our data is to come in the next instalment of Marine Biology @ Rosny College.

Ps. Who takes a beanbag to the beach. Idiots. Don’t do it.