Sunday 29th July 2012

Beach: Whale bay, Raglan

Tide: Directly on low tide

Weather: A storm was about to hit; wind was increasing & rain was starting, so not too nice!

 Today’s Catch:

• 1 Flip-Flop
• 1 Childs sports shoe
• 1 paper McDonalds bag (found on path to beach, but probably would end up on the beach anyway)
• 10 pieces of fishing rope, various sizes & lengths
• 1 piece of wetsuit neoprene
• 3 pieces of miscellaneous material
• 1 large plastic bag
• 3 pieces of carrier bag plastic
• 3 pieces of tape
• 2 large lumps of burnt & melted plastic
• 2 clothes pegs
• 1 drinks straw
• 2 lolly-pop sticks
• Part of a lighter
• 3 shotgun shells
• 2 pieces of pallet ties
• 2 parts of a pen
• Bit of fibreglass – probably from a boat
• 2 Large piece of black plastic, one with screws in (maybe from car /boat)
• 21 bottle tops
• 2 pieces of piping
• 6 large pieces of miscellaneous plastic
• 91 small pieces of miscellaneous plastic
• 3 pieces of foam / polystyrene
• I piece of glass

Beach status now: Clean –ish; I managed to pick up what I could find but the wind had picked up a lot by the end, which made it difficult to see anymore plastic. I do feel like the beach is cleaner than when I first started Today’s Catch, obviously there is still a lot to pick up, but when I leave the beach it looks clean, which makes me happy!

Amount recycled: 70% – all PET (1), PE-HD (2) and PP (5)

Amount re-used: The Clothes pegs  went onto my washing line.

Amount to landfill: a small plastic bag of un-recyclable bits; including shoes and polystyrene.

Still trying to find a use of rope I find – any ideas?

Thursday 19th July 2012

Tide: Mid to high – rising tide

Beach: Whale bay, Raglan

Weather: Beautiful sunny wintery morning, Surf was good so lots of surfers around.

Today’s Catch:

• 6 Parts of /  or whole shoes
• 2 clothes pegs
• 3 drinks straws
• 3 lolly-pop sticks
• 1 pen lid
• 1 Drum tobacco wrapper
• 1 syringe (don’t worry no needle!)
• 9 bits of blue pallet ties
• Bit of wrapper from a coca-cola bottle
• 5 bits of sweet / chocolate wrappers
• 6 bits of plastic wrapping
• 5 bits of shot-gun pellets
• 4 fishing floats
• 9 bits of fishing wire & rope
• 8 bits of miscellaneous material
• 4 plastic bottles (all with lids attached)
• 31 bottle tops
• 2 Juice carton lids
• 5 plastic/foil milk tops
• 22 bits of foam & polystyrene
• I surfboard leash ankle strap
• 3 its of foam fro a surfboard deck pad
• 1 bit of surfboard foam
• 1 black plastic tube
• 150 small pieces of miscellaneous plastic
• 8 large pieces of miscellaneous plastic

Beach status now: RELATIVELY CLEAN!! I don’t know if it was the swell /tide but the beach actually looked clean when I left, I really hope it is my work making a difference!

Amount recycled: 80% – all PET (1), PE-HD (2) and PP (5)

Amount re-used: Surfboard leash ankle strap (Velcro goes into my sewing stuff, hopefully will make something useful!), 2 clothes pegs go on the washing line!

Amount to landfill: un-recyclable parts of shoes, foam and polystyrene.

Thursday 12th July 2012

Beach: Whale Bay, Raglan

Tide: Low

Today’s Catch:

• 87 Bottle caps (37 from the coca-cola company!)
• 5 plastic tabs from milk bottles
• 3 Large bundles of plastic bag ends
• 4 miscellaneous bits of clear plastic
• 3 Bic lighters
• 11 pieces from shotgun shells
• 10 floats from fishing nets
• 3 miscellaneous pieces of synthetic material
• 8 whole or pieces of glow sticks
• 1 plastic fork
• 1 large hair scrunchy
• 1 toothbrush
• 4 clothes pegs
• Part of a surfboard leash
• 2 combs
• 2 pens
• 1 pen lid
• 1 plastic wine bottle cork
• 1 coat toggle
• 3 lollypop sticks
• 2 plastic screws
• 1 clip from diving fins
• 1 bit of duck tape
• 1 plastic knife handle
• Packet of 4 Paracetamol
• Carrier bag full of fishing rope & wire
• 2 flip-flops
• 1 beach shoe
• 1 Frisbee
• 22 pieces of polystyrene / foam
• 6 large pieces of tubing
• 2 pieces of caps
• 5 pieces of blue pallet ties
• Part of a Nutella lid
• 286 miscellaneous small pieces of plastic
• 59 miscellaneous large pieces of plastic
• I Heineken bottle
• 2 pieces of tin can

Beach state now: Still lots of plastic, had to abort because had to go to work!

Amount recycled: 70% – all PET (1), PE-HD (2) and PP (5)

Amount re-used: Surfboard leash Velcro went into sewing box, clothes pegs onto washing line, and fishing floats are waiting for me to find a use for them.

Amount to landfill: a small plastic bag of un-recyclable bits.

Still trying to find a use of rope I find – any ideas?

Monday 2nd July

Where: Whale bay – Manu bay, Raglan

Tide: Low

Today’s Catch:

• 1 Large white plastic Sack
• 7 pieces of miscellaneous man-made fabric
• 13 Large pieces of miscellaneous material
• 2 Large parts of a bucket
• 1 bucket handle
• 1 Mitsubishi Wheel hub
• 1 rubber glove
• 1 fishing net float
• 3 plastic bottles
• 1 part of a plastic bottle
• 12 bottle caps
• 5 piece of blue pallet tie
• 1 part of a dive fin
• 1 Tupperware lid
• 1 plastic ball
• 1 tic-tack box
• 1 biro pen
• 1 cap adjustable  strap
• 1 surfboard nose
• 1 piece of surfboard foam
• 2 pieces of surfboard tail pad
• 2 Surfboard fins (one was actually a fin Duncan had lost 6months ago in that area, and was very pleased to find it!)
• 5 small pieces of miscellaneous plastic
• 3 pieces of polystyrene
• 10 parts of, or whole shoes
• 1 bundle of plastic carrier bags
• 2 whole plastic bags
• 1m length of yellow plastic
• A whole carrier bag full up of fishing wire
• 18 large pieces of rope (some metres long)
• Part of fishing net
• Large plastic lid of an oil drum
• Piece of newspaper
• 2 aluminium drinks cans (7up & Ranfruly beer)
• 3 receipts (1 Pizza hut receipt from 4 days ago in Mount Maunganui (about 150Km away), 1 Countdown supermarket receipt from Paihia (almost 400km) and on for parking in Auckland (also 150km away)
• 1 metal BBQ grid

Beach status after: Still plenty of plastic, despite Duncan & I carrying as much as we can & filling up 2 carrier bags!

Saturday 30th June

Beach: Whale bay, Raglan

Tide: mid

Today’s Catch:

• 7 pieces of rope
• 1 large piece of a Japanese buoy
• 1 ‘powerbuilt’ screwdriver
• Piece of a large syringe
• 1 glow stick (can only imagine where the toxic chemicals ended up!)
• 1 pen lid
• 2 bundles of plastic bags
• 1 inhaler casing
• 1 coat toggle
• 1 ball of black tape
• 1 hat
• 1 clothes peg
• 17 bottle tops
• 2 pieces of plastic netting
• 65 small pieces of miscellaneous plastic
• 1 large piece of miscellaneous plastic
• 1 large piece of plastic create
• 2 burnt pieces of miscellaneous plastic
• 2 pieces of polystyrene
• 1 piece of aluminium

Beach status now: Still covered in plastic ….I don’t have enough hands for it!!

Wednesday 28th June 2012

Beach: Ngarunui Beach, Raglan

Tide: Mid

Today’s Catch:

• 1 milk bottle
• 1 large piece of rubber
• 25 bottle tops
• 12 pieces of rope
• 9 pieces of pallet ties
• 2 lighters (both Bic)
• 1 comb
• 1 pen
• 1 lolly pop stick
• I piece of wire
• 1 cotton reel
• 1 balloon on string
• 1 cereal bar wrapper
• 1 sweet wrapper
• 1 piece of aWaikatobeer can
• Handle & sieve from a mop bucket
• Piece of guttering
• Large bit of rail from a surfboard
• Plastic fencing
• Zip-top bag
• 1 plug
• 51 small pieces of miscellaneous plastic
• 18 large pieces of miscellaneous plastic
• ‘milk chocolate peanuts’ tub & lid
• 1 lump of a miscellaneous burnt substance (can see plastic, wood & metal in it!)
• 1 piece of plastic coated wood

Beach status now: The wind was insane (bordering on sandstorm) so I think a lot of the plastic pieces were covered up.

Saturday 24th June 2012

Beach: Whale bay

Tide: low

•  2 flip-flops
• 1 sandal
• 1 converse type shoe
• 1 large boat shoe
• 1 Tupperware lid
• Part of plastic plate
• Wetsuit neoprene
• 2 lolly-pop sticks
• 1 chocolate bar wrapper
• 1 dice
• 1 hair-band
• Part of a cap
• Piece of plastic tubing
• 3 lighters
• 16 bottle lids
• 16 pieces of polystyrene
• 2 pieces of rope
• A Lump of foam
• Large piece of tarpaulin
• 87 miscellaneous small piece of plastic
• 8 Large pieces of miscellaneous plastic

Beach status now: Filthy – had to abort because hands & pockets ful