Join the Aotearoa Beach Blitz this Saturday
26th July 2017 - for immediate release
From our streets to the beaches, our seas are filling up with plastic rubbish and other junk that is totally avoidable.
This Saturday July 29th, Para Kore Marae Incorporated, the Māori zero waste organisation, is running a 10 minute blitz
to remove rubbish from street gutters, streams and beaches across Aotearoa.
There is a prize on offer too, a free registration to Para Kore's Hui ā-Tau being held in Kawhia in October later this
year. The prize is worth $175 and will be offered for the largest pile of rubbish collected, photographed and posted
online. The prize is worth $175 and will be offered to one of the piles of rubbish collected, photographed and posted on
Para Kore's facebook page.
"This Plastic Free July we're trying to reduce or completely stop buying plastics but there's already an island of
plastic rubbish the size of Australia, one kilometre deep floating around in the Pacific Ocean. And it's not the only
plastic rubbish island, there's one on every ocean on this planet. What's more every piece of plastic breaks down into
tiny particles that create a toxic plastic soup that we swim in. Birds, fish and other sea life consume and choke on
this rubbish daily and storm water drains can clog up and cause devastating floods." says Emily Bailey, Taranaki waste
advisor for Para Kore.
"Cleaning up this mess is everyone's responsibility. We can recycle it or dispose of it properly in a controlled
landfill and in the process remind ourselves that this rubbish is totally unnecessary if we avoid plastic, use
compostable products and reuse things." said Bailey. "It's only 10 minutes and can be as easy as stepping out your door
to remove what's stuck in the gutter, but it can make a world of difference."
For more information go to "Aotearoa Beach Blitz 29 July" on Facebook or www.parakore.maori.nz
ENDS