On Sunday 22 of June the team from Ray White Damerell Group together with approximately 25 local volunteers and families set to work beautifying Coxs Bay and the adjacent stream. With their gumboots and gloves on, they mucked in while the tide was out, picking up plastic bottles, chip packets, cans and even a basketball (the kids had a bit of fun with that one).
With over 30 agents from the Ray White Ponsonby, Ray White Grey Lynn and Ray White Point Chevalier offices out and about every day in the Greater Ponsonby community, the team regularly noticed the litter in this beautiful area and decided the clean-up initiative was a chance to give something back to the people of the area. The removal of this rubbish is also vital in protecting our marine environment as eventually, and unfortunately, it washes into the Waitemata Harbour.
With the help of Hayden Smith from Sea Cleaners and the Watercare Harbour Clean-Up Trust, the team are slowly but surely making a difference in helping keep the community clean and beautiful for everyone to enjoy. Established in 2002 The Watercare Harbour Clean-Up Trust works year-round to remove rubbish from Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour and inner gulf islands – improving the health of the Waitemata Harbour and Auckland’s waterways. The Trust is sponsored principally by Watercare Services Limited, and the support of local communities goes a long way. Hayden got the team of volunteers motivated with one simple statement on the day: “Each of these bags we collect is 50 litres and in total each year, we collect 3.3 million litres of litter from the Waitemata harbour”. The trust has removed a staggering 3,450,340 litres of rubbish from the coast since their inception in 2002 – this represents 115 shipping containers filled with loose litter, and the trust estimate they have collected over 27,602,722 individual items with the support of over 90,132 coordinated volunteer hours.
The teams collected 3,000 litres of rubbish on Sunday alone – pictured above as one giant trailer of rubbish – which included a shopping trolley, a screen door, a car tyre and multitudes of plastic waste items. “We were all astounded at the amount of litter that can accumulate in such a small area” says Simon Damerell, from the Ray White Damerell team says “it’s unfortunate, but we are proud to play our part in looking after our beautiful community environment.”
Graeme Fraser, Ray White New Zealand‘s Auckland Business Performance Manager, is extremely supportive of the initiative and thankful to the Damerell Group noting that “the team have always been active in, and supportive of, their local communities… events such as these have significant positive impact on local communities, raising awareness of marine litter issues and also making a real difference to the environment. We’re extremely proud of the Ray White Ponsonby, Ray White Grey Lynn and Ray White Point Chevalier offices and members who took part.”
The team hope to hold another clean-up day leading up to Christmas – keep an eye on the Ray White New Zealand Facebook page for further information.