Help to protect the Reef
This year, ReefClean and Clean Up Australia have teamed up to create the biggest Great Barrier Reef Clean-up yet!
Individuals, communities, schools and businesses are coming together in Queensland to help protect the Great Barrier Reef from the impacts of marine debris.
Get involved this September and October
Between 20 September and 31 October 2024, we need your help to clean-up the Reef! We’re not only clearing marine debris but also recording what we find so we can use the data to help reduce marine debris at its source.
Run a clean-up and join the crew!
Creating a clean-up at your local beach is a great way to make a difference to the amount of marine debris reaching the Great Barrier Reef.
You don’t have to be a beach clean pro to run your clean-up. Whether you’ve run one before or it’s your first time, we’re here to help. We will provide free clean-up kits, resources and data entry instructions to ensure your event runs smoothly.
We’re looking for volunteers to help us protect the Great Barrier Reef from marine debris. Volunteer to run a clean-up at your local beach within Queensland (or join in with someone else’s) between 20 September and 31 October 2024 to be part of the event!
We ask all volunteers to clear marine debris from the beach and record what they find on the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database.
This means we can protect marine life from the debris we find and use the evidence we collect to help prevent waste from becoming marine debris in the future.
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most biodiverse marine systems in the world, but it faces a significant threat from marine debris. This debris harms marine life through entanglement and ingestion, disrupts coral reef ecosystems, releases harmful chemicals, and impacts tourism due to beach pollution.
We need urgent collaborative action to preserve the Reef for future generations. The good news is that we’ve made it easy for everyone to help remove marine debris and collect important data that we need to keep the Reef healthy.
ReefClean runs clean-up and marine debris monitoring events on the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding areas all year round.
The Great Barrier Reef Clean-up is running between 20 September and 31 October to engage communities across Queensland to help protect their local blue spaces in one giant collaborative effort to clean-up as much marine debris from the Reef as possible!
Find a Great Barrier Reef Clean-up location
Can’t run a clean-up yourself but want to volunteer? Why not join someone else’s? Our interactive map shows all the locations of clean-ups that are open to anyone.
If you would like to join as a volunteer, get in touch with the contact listed on the map pin.
Look for a kit host near you
If you’re near one of our kit host locations, you can borrow a clean-up kit and return it when you’re done. This way, we can be more sustainable and reduce the resources used to supply everyone with individual kits.
Make sure you have registered your site with us to get your free clean-up kits or borrow them from a local kit host.
Resources
We’ve created resources to help you promote your clean-up. Download the editable social tiles and posters, add details, and share them with your friends, family, and community.
Tip: If you use the tile for social media, remember to convert it to a PNG once you finish editing.
Event Partners and Sponsors
For this year’s Great Barrier Reef Clean-up, ReefClean and Clean Up Australia have joined forces to create the biggest GBR clean-up yet! ReefClean is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by Tangaroa Blue Foundation in partnership with several organisations.
About ReefClean
ReefClean works with volunteers and partners across the Great Barrier Reef to reduce the volume of debris generated that may impact threatened and migratory species and ecosystems.
The program works with Reef catchment communities to raise awareness about marine debris and actions they can undertake to prevent litter from entering Reef waterways.
About Clean Up Australia
Clean Up Australia inspires and mobilises communities to improve and conserve our environment, eliminate litter and end waste.
