The Kangaroo Island Beach Rubbish Survey is a biennial community-based event designed to monitor levels of beach rubbish and marine debris around the shores of Kangaroo Island and, where possible, determine its origins.

In 2009 a total of 500 kilograms (kg) of beach rubbish was collected from 18 beaches. Sixty-one people participated in the clean-up providing 163 person-hours of effort. See report (3.98 MB) 

Above: Proportion of marine debris and terrestrial litter from the 2009 survey. Click to enlage.

The largest collections of rubbish came from:

• Brownlow Beach (87 kg)
• Red House Bay (68 kg)
• Flour Cask Bay (60 kg)
• Bay of Shoals (53 kg)

At the other end of the scale, the smallest collections came from:

• Antechamber Bay (2.5 kg)
• Western River Cove (0.4 kg)

For analysis purposes rubbish is sorted into eight main categories. Some of the key findings from the analysis are:

• Hard plastic was the most prevalent type of rubbish, accounting for 30% of all rubbish collected.
• The majority of glass and metal was collected close to urban centres.
• Rope was more abundant along the south coast, with 20 kg collected at Flour Cask Bay alone!
• The remainder of rubbish types were collected in generally small quantities.

Above: Composition and distribution of beach rubbish from the 2009 survey. Click to enlage.

Click here to download the Kangaroo Island Beach Rubbish Survey 2009 Report. (3.98 MB)

Click here to download the Kangaroo Island Beach Litter Survey 2007 Report. (777.94 KB)