Hirepool's Big Clean volunteers clean up 105 wheelbarrows of rubbish from Petone beach.

The collective efforts of 230 brilliant volunteers removed 5,300L worth of rubbish from Petone Beach - that’s a whopping 105 wheelbarrows worth of litter off the local coastline in celebration of Seaweek.                                                                

Environmental charity Sustainable Coastlines and partner Hirepool hosted The Hirepool Big Clean at Wellington’s Hīkoikoi Reserve in Petone on Saturday 11 March. This event was part of the charity’s wider annual Seaweek activity throughout the country, which aims to give volunteers the opportunity to give back to Papatūānuku, connect with nature, and celebrate our oceans. It was the first time the event was held in Wellington.

Hirepool Marketing Manager Shaun Owen says, “We want to thank all the volunteers that came out on Saturday to celebrate Seaweek with us and helped make a big difference to one of Wellington’s most polluted beaches. As ongoing supporters of Sustainable Coastlines, the message we want to send to all New Zealanders is that if we all come together to do our bit, it will go a long way to rehabilitating our shores and leaving them in a better state for years to come.”

Hirepool has done three community beach clean-up events over the past few years as part of its commitment to cleaning up NZ's coastlines. So far, 529 wheelbarrow loads of litter have been picked up over the three events, with Wellingtonians hauling in over 25% % of the litter collected from the clean-ups so far.

Among the items found - plastic was the most prolific with food wrappers, containers, drink bottles and bottle caps appearing the most. Some of the stranger finds included a saw, a microwave, large foam fragments, a mattress and various plastic items from the fishing and construction industries (such as plastic tubing, plastic fencing, fishing line and bait containers).

Petone is one of Wellington’s longest beaches and one that is continuously affected by litter and plastic waste. This area is currently looked after by local community groups like Petone Beach Clean-Up Crew, Keep Hutt Valley Beautiful and Plogging in Petone, all of whom were not surprised by the litter amounts collected over the weekend, given the recent weather events                                             

“The purpose of the annual Hirepool Big Clean is to support local efforts while empowering people to respect and nurture the environment that surrounds us,” says Owen.

“We were stoked with the turnout at this event and look forward to the same at the next one!”