Since 2004 dedicated volunteers have removed almost 100,000 pieces of marine debris from the south west coastline preventing these items from killing one of the more than 1.1 million seabirds, marine mammals and sea turtles which are killed by marine debris each year.

Each year with funding from Coastwest and Keep Australia Beautiful Council; and the support of the Department of Environment and Conservation, Busselton and Augusta Margaret River Shires, South West Catchments Council and hundreds of volunteers, the South West Marine Debris Project will take our fight against marine debris to an even higher level.

Initiated in 2004, the South West Marine Debris Project has aimed to remove debris from the south west coastline, collect data which is then analysed and used to trace to the source of the debris, and finally work to either change the design of the item or the way it is being used to prevent it from ending up in the ocean in the first place. Through reports, clean up events, such as the annual Cape to Cape Beach Clean Up and educational programs with government, industry, community groups, schools and individuals, the ultimate aim is to create a behaviour change so people stop littering. Funding will also enable monthly clean ups at five Capes beaches which are being used to collect even more detailed data on the state of our ocean and coastline.

Workshops and presentations for schools and community groups will be held working with the data collected and this educational website, will allow people, not only in Western Australia, but all over Australia and the world to add their data and find information about marine debris, its impacts on our marine ecosystem and what they can do to help.

Vital partnerships have been formed from all parts of the community, industry and government enabling this project to successfully progress. A huge thank you to all volunteers and supporters in particular Wally Smith, Renee Mouritz, Kirrily White and Liz McGuire.

Every year since 2005, the middle weekend in October has seen hundreds of volunteers grab their gloves and bags to clean up their favourite stretch of coastline between Cape Leeuwin, Cape Naturaliste and Busselton in the South West of Western Australia in the annual Cape to Cape Beach Clean Up. Initiated and organised by Tangaroa Blue Ocean Care Society, the Cape to Cape Beach Clean Up aims at removing as much rubbish from the coast as possible as well as creating a community awareness of the state of our coasts and oceans and the impacts that marine debris has on our ecosystem.

The South West Marine Debris Project combines the Cape to Cape Beach Clean Up and other projects that take place annually under one project as Community Groups and Shires from the South West have joined forces with Tangaroa Blue Ocean Care Society by holding their own clean up events as part of the annual South West Marine Debris Project. The first clean up was held in February 2007 by local lifesavers in the Harvey Shire and has grown to include beaches from Capel, Mandurah and Perth. Welcome on board!!