DROP OFF Your Plastics!

*UPDATED 21/9 8:00pm DROP-OFF/COLLECTION POINT ESTABLISHED

• Where? Edwin Schrag Lookout (Boyd St, Woorim)

• When? 6am to 9am Friday 22, Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September

Bring your stash of these insidious plastic disks (biomedia) to add to the tally! This is also one of the best spots to try and spot whales and dolphins from this time of the year, so make it a morning out. Bring your morning coffee, and have a chat with BIEPA Member Darren Jew, who knows a thing or two about humpback whales.

Biomedia is used to filter the water in aquaculture tanks and ponds at the Bribie Island Research Centre. (Photo by Donna Pearce)

At the request of the Department of Environment and Science, BIEPA has been asked to coordinate a reconciliation of this week's biomedia collection effort.

Our Island’s community spirit has been on show again this week as volunteers combed the eastern and southern coasts removing thousands of small plastic filter parts from the beach. The “biomedia” was accidently discharged into the sea from the Bribie Island Research Centre at Woorim, in a systems failure now being investigated by the Department of Environment and Science (DES).

The Department of Environment and Science has asked BIEPA to coordinate a count of biomedia collected. (Photos Jo Kelly and Donna Pearce)

The reporting of the amounts will help to reconcile the amount collect vs the amount reported as being discharged, so it can be estimated how much has been removed from the environment. Biomedia is measured by volume, so if you still have the parts, please send us the amount you have. You can measure it in a standard “cup” (250ml), or a measuring jug from the kitchen, or maybe use a drink bottle to estimate the volume.

Even if you disposed of what you picked-up in a bin at the beach, or in your bin at home, we would like an estimate please. Email us with the following details please: wildlife@biepa.online

· Rough area where you collected from? (Woorim/Skirmish/Woody Bay/Red Beach)

· Do you still have it?

· If you don’t have it, where did you dispose of it? (home bin/council bin)

· Amount Collected (please let us know if this is measured, or estimated)

· Attach a photo if you have one The biomedia release is a curse to our wildlife and the environment, but the items themselves are non-toxic so perfectly safe to handle. Over this coming week we'll organise drop-offs/collection of the material so it can be disposed of appropriately.

So many people played a part in the response to the incident from the early reporting, liaison with authorities, to collection efforts. Everyone's efforts have been praised by the DES Pollution Response Team. Check out the BIEPA Facebook page for more information and stay tuned as we'll publish a comprehensive update on the incident here in the coming days,