Pile of supermarket baskets at beach hailed as 'brilliant idea'
Brisbane residents have suggested using a clever supermarket basket hack to help clean up Australian beaches.
More cigarette butts than ever were collected from Aussie beaches and coastal areas in 2019’s Clean Up Australia event. The amount of plastic straws and metal bottle caps collected in the annual volunteer clean up also increased, so it’s no surprise that those who live by waterways want to see them litter free.
A member of a Redcliff Peninsula community Facebook group shared an image of baskets placed at a beach, along with a sign asking beach walkers to use the baskets to collect litter before returning them to the stand, and disposing correctly of what they had collected.
The idea appeared to have originated in Florida with the sign listing a phone number for a St Pete Beach waste collection agency, and Aussie social media users loved the idea.
“What an awesome idea,” the photo was captioned.
“We so need that here. The amount of plastic I pick up on a regular walk is ridiculous,” a user replied.
One person suggested a creative way to stop the baskets from being stolen.
“I love the idea. To stop people stealing the baskets, it could be a returnable coin to get a basket, like Aldi’s trolleys.”
Another person suggested asking local cafes to be the collection point for baskets and entice people to return them full of rubbish in return for an ice cream or cold drink.
Others agreed that having a similar program would encourage others to collect discarded rubbish when visiting the beach.
“Every beach should have one. I think more people would pick up rubbish if they had something to put it in,” a Facebook user wrote.
Although there was some debate over how successful the program would be in the area, residents seem determined to keep their favourite beaches and walkways clean, loving the idea of giving it a shot at their local.
“I think if a few people do it, others will follow. And it will encourage others to do the right thing also, i.e not littering,” a hopeful member shared.
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