Port Coogee: cleaner waters the goal in WA first

A WA-FIRST project aims to reduce the amount of rubbish in Port Coogee Marina waters.

Popular in docks, marinas and ports around the world, the City of Cockburn has installed WA’s first floating rubbish bin in a bid to keep the local waters clean and safe for marine life.

Marina manager Samantha Standish said the $5750 Seabin, distributed by Shorewater Marine, was attached to the floating jetty and collected rubbish as it moved with the tide.

“Rubbish blows in from surrounding areas and gets trapped in the north eastern area of the marina, which is where the Seabin is located,” she said.

“What is more encouraging is that the Seabin is also able to catch all the rubbish we can’t see, such as micro plastics up to 2mm in size.

“It’s great to be doing something so positive for our marina environment and we would encourage other marinas, yacht clubs and agencies managing calm water areas to look into how this product could help them too.”

Cockburn Waste Education officer Nicki Ledger said the unit would help but not solve the litter problem and urged locals to reduce their use of items like plastic bottles and throwaway coffee cups and to dispose of all rubbish properly.

“If you’re too far from a bin, bag it, put it in your car or boat and dispose of it properly when you get home,” she said.

“Installing the unit is part of a trial to gauge its success, but it is not the solution.

“People are the solution, bin your rubbish, don’t just throw it away and hope for the best or expect others to clean up after you.”

The Seabin will be checked daily and emptied regularly, with the City saying they would recycle as much of its contents as possible.