What do you get when 30 community volunteers spend a Sunday morning exploring mangroves, saltmarshes, parks and carparks? A cleaner coastline - and 160kg of rubbish removed from the environment.

The clean-up, organised by North Queensland Conservation Council, NQ Wildlife Care and Healthy Waters Partnership, brought together community members determined to make a difference around the Barnicle Street boat ramp.

Volunteers collected an astonishing amount of litter, including tyres, a fridge door, broken glass, textiles, shoes and more than 18kg of soft plastics. While the clean-up area was relatively small, the volume of rubbish highlights the ongoing challenge facing our waterways and wildlife.

A big thank you to everyone who took part, and to TIDY Up Townsville Group and Earthwatch Australia for joining us on the day and lending a hand.

Every piece of litter removed is one less threat to wildlife and our waterways.

All photos: Jo Hurford.

Scroll through the photos below to see the day in action.

Last week we came together for candlelight, soft drizzle on leaves above us, and honest conversation about the climate crisis and how it lives in us.