Photo: Many hands make light work when it comes to caring for our ocean.

Our oceans are the foundation of life on Earth, providing the conditions that allow people and nature to thrive. For many Pacific Islanders, the ocean is a vital source of food, livelihoods, and cultural identity. Yet despite all that it provides, our ocean is under increasing pressure from climate change, overfishing, emerging threats such as deep-sea mining, and one of the most visible and pervasive challenges of all, plastic pollution. While these issues are often discussed on a global scale, their impacts are being felt much closer to home, and the Cook Islands is no exception.

A recent South Pacific baseline study, which included beaches on Rarotonga and Aitutaki, found worrying levels of beach litter. Researchers recorded up to 57.7 litter items per 100 metres of beach on Rarotonga, with plastics making up between 73 and 88 per cent of all rubbish collected. Common items included bottle caps, plastic bottles, drinking straws and other single-use plastics, with some waste linked to tourist accommodation areas.

These findings reflect what local volunteers have witnessed during community clean-up events.

During the 2024 Muri Beach Clean Up, volunteers removed 34 x 20L bags of general non-recyclable waste, including dirty plastics, clothing, jandals and disposable vapes. Alongside this, they collected eight bags of PET plastic bottles, four bags of glass bottles, four bags of aluminium cans and two bags of metal from around one of Rarotonga’s most iconic beaches.

The major problem with plastic pollution is that it doesn’t simply disappear. Instead, it gradually breaks down into tiny fragments known as microplastics. These particles are easily mistaken for food and are consumed by fish, seabirds, turtles and other marine life, allowing plastics to move through the marine food web. As seafood is harvested and eaten by people, microplastics can also enter the human food chain, highlighting how plastic pollution is not only an environmental issue but one that has potential implications for human health as well.

The encouraging news is that every one of us can help turn the tide. Choosing reusable bottles and shopping bags, avoiding unnecessary single-use plastics, disposing of rubbish responsibly and participating in community clean-ups are simple actions that collectively have a significant impact.

Today, the Annual Muri Beach Clean Up will take place from 8:30 am to 11:00 am, starting at Sails Restaurant. Join fellow community members and visitors in an awareness raising attempt to generate more interest in keeping our beaches clean – where every piece of rubbish collected is one less item that can harm marine life or find its way back into our ocean.

Paper waste collection bags will be provided on the morning of the event, and as a thank you for your efforts, volunteers can enjoy a free sausage sizzle and donuts courtesy of Tiares after the clean-up. Bring your family, friends or colleagues and be part of a community effort to keep Muri beautiful for everyone.

If you can’t make it to Muri, why not take the opportunity to clean a section of beach in your own village, to give back to our ocean and coastline that gives us so much.