Clean up the beach in return for free coffee

Manly cafes are solving the area’s pollution problem by giving away a free cup of coffee to people who collect a bucket of rubbish from the beach.

Hemingway's cafe manager Tommy Schoeb with Surf Rider Foundation Manly member Jude Furniss are encouraging people to fill a bucket with rubbish from the beach in return for a coffee. Picture: Richard Dobson

Manly cafes have come up with a clever solution to the beach’s pollution problem – bribing would-be cleaners with free coffee.

A new initiative rewards people with a cup of coffee if they collect a bucket of rubbish from the beach.

The brainchild of Surf Rider Foundation Manly, 10 cafes, two coffee suppliers and a brewery have signed up in the first week.

Popular local cafes along the beach including Hemingway’s, The Boathouse and The Bower Restaurant are turning customers into civic-minded cleaners.

Theo Gibson, manager at Hemingway’s, said it takes five minutes to fill a two kilo bucket with rubbish left on the sand.

“It’s an initiative to pull people in, pick up rubbish and get something from it,” he said.

“There are bins on the steps, but people leave wrappers, straws and beer bottles on the beach or rocks to be swept away that evening. It’s an issue that needs to be looked and the locals want to be part of it.

“For us to give away a coffee for their hard work and effort isn’t much. In the evening, we give them a beer from 4Pines.”

The local brewery, which has a zero waste strategy, also supplies the plastic buckets as a way to upcycle them.

Jude Furniss, president of the Surf Rider Foundation Manly, said it is raising awareness of plastic pollution.

“When people see first-hand how much rubbish is on the beach, even though it looks pretty clean, it imparts the message about changing habits,” she said.

“People take ownership for their own backyard and reduce their plastic footprint.”

The first phase of the project is the northern beaches but there are plans to take it nationwide.

“It’s a template any community can adopt pretty easily,” Ms Furniss said.

Originally published as Clean up the beach in return for free coffee