Clean up for the hatchlings cancelled but the baby turtles still need your help

It’s almost that time of year again when the baby turtles erupt from their nests and trek down our Sunshine Coast beaches, and while the annual Clean up for the hatchlings event has been cancelled, council is still calling on our community to safely pick up rubbish at a time that suits them over the next week.

Sunshine Coast Council Environment and Liveability Portfolio Councillor Peter Cox said that unfortunately, council had made the decision to cancel this year’s Clean Up for the Hatchlings as previously advertised.

“Like many large events, we’ve had to be agile and change our plan for the clean up this year due to the ongoing COVID situation,” Cr Cox said.

“However, our turtle hatchlings still need a clear run to the ocean.

“So, between Saturday, January 29 and Friday, February 4, we encourage people to head to the beach in their own time to safely collect rubbish.

“And as a special thanks, if they submit a photo of their collected rubbish to council they will receive a two-for-one pass to visit our event partner Sea Life Sunshine Coast, and also go into the draw to win one of five family passes.

“A big thanks in advance to our turtle-friendly community for taking the time to clean up our beaches for the hatchlings.”

Here are our top tips for a safe DIY beach clean up:

Pick up marine debris – on your local beach – take a bucket or bag with gloves or tongs. Reusable produce bags are great for collecting the small pieces of plastic and allowing the sand to the sift out as you walk.
Help with some counting – roughly work out how far you walked while picking up marine debris and see if you can count how many pieces of marine debris you found. For example “we walked 100 meters on Dicky Beach and found 50 pieces of plastic.”
Photo time – share a photo of the marine debris. Here’s some ideas for your photo (remember to first put on your gloves):
- Lay all the marine debris out to show everything you collected
- Make the outline of a turtle hatchling in the sand with your marine debris
- Put on your gloves and hold the marine debris in your hands
Post to council’s Facebook page or email your photo to win – comment on a clean up post or send it via direct message via Facebook or email [email protected]
Our thanks – Beach clean up marine debris photos shared with council between January 29 and February 4, 2022 will receive a two-for-one pass to Sea Life Sunshine Coast and go in the draw for a family pass to Sea Life Sunshine Coast.

Clean up for the hatchlings 2022 has been reimagined by Sunshine Coast Council in partnership with Sea Life Sunshine Coast, ReefCheck Australia, TurtleCare, UnityWater and Coolum and North Shore Coast Care.

Sandie arranges her rubbish in the shape of a turtle