Fraser Island volunteers take out the trash

More than 750 volunteers combed through 123km of beach to collect 1259 bags of rubbish across the weekend as part of the annual clean-up

Aerial view of the rubbish collection at the Fraser Island 4WD clean-up 2019 on the weekend. Picture: Charlene Brown

MORE than 750 volunteers combed through 123km of beach to collect 1259 bags of rubbish across the weekend as part of the annual 4WD Queensland Fraser Island clean-up.

From Hook Point up to Ngkala Rocks, volunteers in about 320 cars from 24 four-wheel-drive clubs all over the state combed K'gari's landscape until their haul of trash weighed 7059kg.

Chairperson Charlene Brown said the weekend's haul outweighed what was collected at the 2018 event by more than 100kg.

"Clubs involved came from as far north as Bundaberg and right down to the Gold Coast," she said.

"Some of the clubs found some really unusual things, there was a whole car body uncovered in the sand, a hull of a boat and even some shotgun cartridges."

The event, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year, is run in partnership with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service for vehicle access permits to conserve environmental impact.

"It's a huge amount of rubbish that was collected," Ms Brown said.

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"There is a huge amount of wildlife on the island and there is the turtle rookery as well for the endangered species of loggerhead turtles which makes it so important to keep the beaches as clean as possible.

"We are also doing data analysis to be entered into the Tangaroa Blue Australian Marine Debris Initiative database.

"This database is used by universities and scientists from all over the world to identify the kinds of rubbish and the source of the rubbish so we know how to combat the issue in the future and stop it happening.

"We need to identify the root cause and where it is coming from to ultimately see a reduction of waste in the beaches.

"Fraser Island is a magical place, it has hundreds of thousands of tourists visit every year and we want to make sure the natural beauty is kept alive. Over the weekend 155 children attended and they are the future and it is important for them to be educated and taught to care for environment."

As part of the event's sponsorship, barge rides to the island were offered at a discounted rate and the Fraser Coast Regional Council supplied and arranged for the disposal of skip bins.

Torbanlea's Mick's Spit Roasts and Catering catered lunch and representatives from the Butchulla people performed a welcome to country.

RMB141116 Bushfire Mt Chalmers

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