October 13, 2020

Alcoa employees take part in WA Beach Clean-Up

Employees from Alcoa’s Kwinana Refinery grabbed a bucket and tongs to take part in this year’s annual Western Australian Beach Clean-Up along Challenger Beach.

A team of ten employees made the most of the sunny spring weather to get outside and pick up rubbish and debris that had collected on the beach.

Beach clean up
Alcoa’s Kwinana Refinery employees take part in the WA Beach Clean Up 2020 at Challenger Beach

The clean-up formed part of Alcoa’s long-standing partnership with Perth NRM, working on the coastal restoration of Challenger Beach.

Together they retrieved and sorted through more than 1500 pieces of rubbish weighing almost 30kg and gathered critical data in the process. The data will be used to help influence policies and community initiatives on how to reduce waste.

The project, now in its twelfth year, aims to improve and maintain the ecological viability of the coastal reserve as well as build capacity and understanding of coastal ecological processes in local schools and the community.

Kwinana Refinery Manager Mark Zaborowski said employee volunteering is part of the culture at Alcoa and that protecting our environment is a priority for the company.

“As our operation backs onto the stunning Challenger Beach, taking part in the beach clean-up was a great reminder of how privileged we are to work alongside such a spectacular part of our coastline,” Mark said.

Perth NRM Coastal and Marine Program Manager Hannah Gulliver said Challenger Beach has improved enormously thanks to the long-term partnership with Alcoa.

“The beach and dunes have changed considerably since the inception of the partnership through dune revegetation, resulting in increased ecological functioning.”

“It’s great to see Alcoa employees willing to roll up their sleeves, volunteer their time and keep the beach clean.”