The popularity of Port Coogee Marina as a tourist destination is growing but with the influx of people comes an increase in litter which often ends up in the waterways, endangering the seahorse and fish that call it home.
To reduce rubbish polluting the marina, the City of Cockburn is the first in Western Australia to install a floating rubbish bin already in use at marinas, docks, yacht clubs and commercial ports in more than 23 countries worldwide.
Shorewater Marine is the West Australian Distributer for the Seabin carried out the installation at Port Coogee Marina on Wednesday, 30 January 2019.
Marina Manager Samantha Standish said that the Seabin will help keep the marina’s waters clean and environmentally friendly.
“After recently being awarded Level 3 Clean Marina Accreditation, through the Marina Industries Association, the Seabin being installed in the Port Coogee Marina is another fantastic initiative we are excited to have for the City of Cockburn,” Ms Standish said.
“Rubbish blows in from surrounding areas and gets trapped in the north eastern area of the marina, which is where the Seabin is located.
"What is more encouraging is that the Seabin is also able to catch all the rubbish we can’t see, such as micro plastics up to 2mm in size.
“It’s great to be doing something so positive for our marina environment and we would encourage other marinas, yacht clubs and agencies managing calm water areas to look into how this product could help them too."
The Seabin is attached to the floating jetty and moves up and down within the tidal range collecting all floating rubbish.
Water is pulled in from the surface and passes through a 20kg catch bag inside the Seabin. The water is then pumped back into the marina collecting the trapped litter and debris to ensure correct disposal.
The unit has been installed in the northern corner of the marina, close to the Dome Café and the most suitable location based on marina water movements.
The $5,750 unit has been purchased by the City’s Waste Services team, and is designed to reduce marine debris and the effects of its contamination in the marina.
Waste Education Officer Nicki Ledger said the unit, which also had the potential to collect a percentage of oils and pollutants floating on the water’s surface, was part of an ongoing litter education campaign at the marina.
"This unit will not solve the litter problem. We urge people to move away from single use items like plastic bottles, coffee cups and balloons, and to dispose of your rubbish responsibly in the bins provided," Ms Ledger said.
“If you’re too far from a bin, bag it, put it in your car or boat and dispose of it properly when you get home.
“Installing the unit is part of a trial to gauge its success, but it is not the solution. People are the solution – bin your rubbish don’t just throw it away and hope for the best or expect others to clean up after you.”
She said the unit would be checked daily and emptied regularly by marina staff, with as much of its contents as possible recycled.
The Seabin was developed by avid Australian surfers, Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski, who decided to quit their jobs to create a “seabin” that would collect rubbish, oil, fuel and detergents.
Port Coogee Marina has been awarded the Marina Industries Association’s International Clean Marina Accreditation Level 3 for its efforts in the Clean Marina program and is excited to have the Seabin installed to work toward cleaner waterways and maintaining their Clean Marina status.
Own your impact
- Plastic (up to 77 per cent) and cigarettes (14 per cent) made up the bulk of rubbish collected by volunteers between CY O’Connor Beach and the Ammunition Jetty at Woodman Point between 2013 and 2017.
- 815 volunteers were involved in 39 clean-up events which resulted in the removal of 62,878 items with a total weight of 2.1 tonnes from local beaches. Source: Australian Marine Debris Database.