Woolworths Ooshie found washed up on beach just weeks after promo launched
A woman cleaning up a Gold Coast beach has been shocked to find a washed up Woolworths Ooshie collectable.
Sea Shepherd Australia - Marine Debris Campaign wrote on Facebook a volunteer named Tamra found an Ooshie “in the tideline among seaweed and shells” at Narrowneck Beach on Sunday.
“I immediately recognised it as it was bright orange!” Tamra said.
“I was so disappointed to see it already littered on the beach because they have only been in circulation for a few weeks.”
Ooshies were released on July 17.
Tamra added she works with children and is concerned with the message she believes the collectables send.
“I think it’s so disappointing that we are sending these messages to children that we can consume high quantities of single use, non-biodegrade plastics (even single use toys) for no real purpose which then have impacts for our environment - even within a few days or weeks of obtaining it,” she said.
“I think disappointed is the exact word of how I felt.”
A Woolworths spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the Ooshie collectables have been “built to be durable for families and fans to treasure for a long time”.
However, the collectables are recyclable, the supermarket said.
“Woolworths is passionate about the circular economy, and have established a partnership with TerraCycle to turn any pre-loved Ooshies into recycled products such as garden beds, fences and benches,” the spokesperson said.
“If a customer receives a Lion King Ooshie and changes their mind or no longer wants it, they simply need to drop the Ooshie back to their local Woolworths store and Woolworths will send it to TerraCycle for recycling.”
The bags the collectables come in can also be recycled at the kerbside bin.
On Facebook, people still called for an end to the collectables.
“This cheap gimmicky crap that is now destined to ruin our environment needs to stop,” one man wrote.
One woman suggested it’s not Woolworths’ responsibility for how people dispose of the collectables.
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“I don’t see how one business can be responsible for this being on the beach,” she wrote.
“Are companies that make fishing gear responsible for hooks and lines found on the seashore?
“Take aim at the people who leave crap behind and not the poor defenceless Ooshies.”
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