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Caqalai

Achievement Report
February 2015
Objective: Waste Management and Awareness, Protection of Marine Ecosystems

GVI Caqalai Ocean Cleanup



After establishing the GVI
Fijis Marine Research
Project on Caqalai Island
in October 2014, one of
the several initiatives im-
plemented to tackle
waste management issues
in the area has been the
PADI
AWARE
Dive
Against Debris initiative .
Debris collection dives
and regular beach cleans
are invaluable methods
for protecting the marine
life of Caqalai and neigh-
boring island Moturiki,
whilst also useful for promoting awareness on the hazards that pollution poses to the marine envi-
ronment. The debris collection and data gathered during GVIs clean up sessions will aid in the estab-
lishment of Caqalai Island as a marine protected area and assist in our waste management planning
with local community members in support of improved environmental management. GVI Fiji
Voluneers also run an enviromental education curriculum in local schools, covering human impacts
on the environment, pollution and the effects of plastics and waste on the local marine life. Outside
the classroom children and local youth groups are encouraged to join in the cleanups.

Caqalai is a coral island shaped by the tidal
currents that move around it. These cur-
rents can bring debris from Viti Levu and
surrounding islands. Neighboring Moturiki
has ten villages, none of which have recy-
cling facilities. As a result the main means of
waste disposal is burning and burying. By
collecting data during dives and beach
cleans we have further evidence to support
the need for proper waste management in
the area; it is hoped that beach cleans and
dive surveys run along side the implementa-
tion of waste management initiatives will
eventually lead to a change in the debris
profile found on local reefs.




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Dive Against Debris (http://www.projectaware.org/project/dive-against-debris) is an initiative set up
by PADI Project AWARE in response to one of the most detrimental stressors on the health of our
oceans. Marine pollution is a growing problem with an estimated 10-20 million tons of plastic ending
up in the ocean each year. A recent study estimated that 5.25 trillion plastic particles weighing a to-
tal of 268,940 tons are currently floating in the worlds oceans. These plastic particle and waste ma-
terials kill tens of thousands of marine animals and seabirds each year through entanglement and
digestion and continues to damage entire marine ecosystems. The following points show some wor-
rying statistics from WorldWatch Institute (www.worldwatch.org)

This plastic debris results in an estimated $13 billion a year in losses from damage to marine
ecosystems, including financial losses to fisheries and tourism as well as time spent cleaning
beaches.

In Europe, 26 percent, or 6.6 million tons, of the post-consumer plastic produced in 2012
was recycled, while 36 percent was incinerated for energy generation. The remaining 38
percent of post-consumer plastics in Europe went to landfills.

In the United States, only 9 percent of post-consumer plastic (2.8 million tons) was recycled
in 2012. The remaining 32 million tons was discarded.

Dive Against Debris was Created by divers for
divers, this global, underwater survey of rubbish
is designed to increase debris removal efforts,
prevent harm to marine life and connect your
underwater actions to policy changes and pre-
vention. Data reported to Project AWARE is en-
tered into a global database and is then used to
spread awareness of marine debris and used to
support development and implementation of pol-
icies to improve solid waste management at all
levels.

GVI Fiji has pledged to carry out 3 Dives Against
Debris a week and 2 beach cleans a month. Vol-
unteers also plan to carry out beach cleans in col-
laboration with local youth groups on neighbor-
ing Moturiki.
Currently on Caqalai we have completed 5 beach
cleans and 2 in Daku (a village on Motoriki) col-
lecting 363.85kg of debris, of which only around
69kg is recyclable in Fiji. In the debris we collect-
ed 476 plastic bottles, 121 shoes, 2 engines and
an airline food tray. GVI Fijis Community base in
Silana village on Viti Levu has also started running regular beach cleans involving the local communi-
ty.

During dives against debris we have collected 19.4kg of debris, most of which is glass bottles.


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The data from the last three beach cleans is presented below, it shows a great deal of the debris is
plastic and that a large amount of it could have been recycled instead of dumped. All the debris col-
lected by GVI Fiji is either recycled, reused or disposed of correctly.

Graph Key

Blue Plastic

Green Glass

Purple Mixed Materials

Red Metal

Yellow Cloth
Black Paper

Paper

Other

Sacks

Net

Clothes

Other

Food tins

Cans

Aerosols

Batteries

Shoes

Jars

Bottles

Rope

Fragments

Net

Sacks

Food rappers

Foam

Food containers

Flooring

Plastic bags

Cigarette lighters

Bottle caps

Other bottles

340
320
300
280
260
240
220
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0

Drinks bottles

Number Of Items Collected

Beach Clean Data

Categories of Debris


It is hoped that through continued concerted efforts by GVI volunteers and local communities the
volume of waste collected on local beach cleans will reduce over time and that greater awareness
will ensure that more effort is made to dispose of rubbish properly. By reporting collection infor-
mation to PADI AWARE, this information will help contribute to a global data and efforts to reduce
on marine pollution.

For more information on GVIs projects in Fiji please visit www.gvi.co.uk
For more information on our global impact visit www.gviworld.com
To make a donation to our projects in Fiji please visit www.gvi.org for more details.



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