Corporate volunteers from Australand, one of Australia’s leading property developers, took part in Dive Against Debris at La Perouse in support of Clean Up Australia Day.

Australand teamed up with Project AWARE, Abyss Dive Centre and Randwick City Council to make sure that rubbish collected is properly sorted and recorded and then safely disposed of after the Dive Against Debris.

“Australand Property Group encourages its 522 staff to take part in community and environmental events and programs across Australia in keeping with our corporate responsibility strategy”, explained Australand’s Sustainability Manager, Ms Antonia Reynolds.

“We have participated in Business Clean Up Day for the past six years and this year we are also offering staff who have scuba qualifications the opportunity to clean up our oceans around the historic Bare Island near Botany Bay.  We see this not only as a significant community initiative where local councils and the local community all benefit, but one that provides an opportunity for team building,” Ms Reynolds added.

The team of ten volunteers removed a mixed bag of debris and Project AWARE presented a prize for the most unusual item. Thanks once again to Australand volunteers who raised $1,200, all donations will generously be matched by the Australand Foundation.

"The good news is there was a relatively small amount of rubbish on the day," said Hannah Pragnell-Raasch Project AWARE Program and Outreach Coordinator. "But there was still rubbish littered across Bare Island and the rock shelf, mainly drink beverage containers.  It's more important than ever for everyone to keep the pressure on and support the proposed national Container Deposit Scheme. We encourage all scuba divers to get on board and support the CDS and ditch single use plastic in their daily lives," added Hannah.

This month Project AWARE volunteers are on location at Ocean Film Festival Australia where attendees can purchase a Project AWARE Cup 2 Go for a $15 donation. "Coffee lids and cups remain one of the top items found in Dive Against Debris surveys so we encourage all coffee drinkers to get on board with their own eco coffee cup," said Hannah.

Interested in corporate fundraising or volunteering? Contact your local Project AWARE office for more information.