Westpac New Zealand

Our goal

Complete 300 beach clean-ups each year around New Zealand, to remove 1 million pieces of rubbish within 4 years.

How are we doing so far?

As at the end of September 2009 our staff had completed 324 beach clean-ups and picked up 252,724 pieces of rubbish.

> see what rubbish we’ve collected so far (PDF 39kb)

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Why does this matter?

It’s important that our kids, and future generations, experience New Zealand’s wonderful coastline. That means we can’t treat the ocean as a giant rubbish tip.

How big is the problem?

A 2006 study found an average of 21kg of rubbish per 1.6km of New Zealand beach.*

According to the Ministry for Environment 62.3% of our ocean-going sea birds are listed as threatened.

Plastic and other inorganic waste can entangle and choke seabirds, seals and dolphins.

Marine debris stays in the environment for a very long time as it's hard to break down;

		orange peel		2 years

		cigarette butts		1-5 years

		plastic bags		20-50 years

		tin cans		50 years

		aluminium cans		80-100 years

		plastic bottles		250 years

		glass		1 million years



What is Westpac doing right now?

We're rolling up our sleeves and working with communities to help clean up our coastlines, in partnership with the Sir Peter Blake Trust. We also continue to help the Trust roll out its Care for our Coast programme to local schools, businesses and community groups.

> more information about the Sir Peter Blake Trust

What you can do?

You can start making a difference when you next visit a beach by

	putting any rubbish in the bins provided
	sorting your rubbish and depositing it into recycle bins if they are provided, or take it home with you
	walking your dog in the designated areas and times allowed. Remember to clean up any of your pet’s waste
	making sure you take all your personal items with you when you leave
	picking up pieces of rubbish or debris that other people may have left behind

> contact us if you’re interested in joining a beach clean up

> talk to your local Westpac branch about getting involved

> brainstorm more ideas and let us know about them.

*Ocean Conservancy’s International Coast Clean-Up Report, 2006

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