The group then moved into Erina Bay, working with the advantage of a large high tide pushing in from the middle creek west toward the main road. In a concentrated 150-metre stretch of mangroves reaching about 40 metres deep, students collected 10 bags of rubbish, mostly consisting of gutter waste such as plastic bottles, hard and soft plastics, food wrappers, cans, and numerous pieces of polystyrene.

Further along, the mangroves near the Punt Bridge revealed similar pollution levels. The team filled another four bags and discovered signs of illegal dumping near the car park, which were also addressed.

Moving into Erina Creek, the rising tide had washed debris deep into the lower mangroves, particularly around the campsite close to the local hotel. Much of the waste consisted of food wrappings carried in from surrounding areas.

At Carolyn Bay, students encountered general public littering, including alcohol containers and plastic bottles. The mangroves closest to the school were heavily affected by gutter-borne litter. Here, students collected four more large bags of waste as well as discarded outdoor furniture.

The clean-up not only cleared significant amounts of rubbish from local waterways but also highlighted the ongoing issue of litter entering sensitive mangrove ecosystems. See the full report below.