5 February 2018
A new campaign from Surf Life Saving NSW and Clean Oceans Australia is being launched this February
to engage Nippers in getting plastics off our beaches.
Plastic waste and garbage in our oceans is a huge environmental challenge and engaging ocean lovers
when they are young with education and resources to change their behaviour is at the heart of the
campaign.
“It’s estimated three million PET bottles and cans are being consumed every season at clubs around
Australia, with none being recycled and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of how much plastic we’re seeing
every day from all beach users,” said Brett Pattinson, Clean Oceans Spokesperson.
“The problem is a lot of this plastic ends up in our oceans, damaging the natural environment and killing
marine life – and some of these plastics will literally take hundreds of years to degrade in the ocean if
they will ever go away at all”, said George Sabados, Clean Oceans Spokesperson.
The campaign will be piloted through the Nippers program across the Surf Life Saving Clubs in NSW;
Bondi, Coogee, Clovelly and North Cronulla.
“For Nippers our beaches and the ocean are our ‘home’ and we want to ensure they are both kept pristine
for everybody to enjoy now and for the future. What Clean Oceans is doing for all our kids, parents and
members will go a long way to ensuring this takes place”, said Doug Hawkins, Sydney Branch President
of Surf Life Saving Australia.
Nipper’s will be provided with a reusable drinking bottle, education materials to learn more about plastics
and their effect on the environment, plus how to reduce plastic use.
In addition, the three pilot clubs will receive recycling and waste bins, portable refilling water stations,
reverse vending machines to further incentivise recycling and special clean-up activities.
“There is a broader goal here that we are working towards, post our pilot, we hope to expand this
program through more Surf Life Saving Clubs in NSW and around Australia, in the aim of working with the
local community and Government to ban all plastics on beaches with a Surf Life Saving Club by 2020,”
said Mr Pattinson.
“Surf Life Saving Clubs are a huge part of Australian Beach culture and also a large network of people in
Australia that deeply care about our oceans, and we’re hoping by engaging this community that there will
be significant gains made to raise awareness of the need to reduce plastic use and also to all do our part
of keep our oceans clean,” he added.
The hard facts:
An estimated 15,000 plastic bottles thrown away every minute in Australia
And nearly 3,000,000 bottles and cans are consumed per season at Surf Life Saving Clubs
around Australia, none of which are recycled.