Rottnest Island is listed as an Important Biodiversity Area (IBA) and is known for its pristine beaches and tranquillity. However, as a worker living on Rottnest Island, I repeatedly see the reality of this beautiful place. Rubbish is left lying around just about everywhere you look, in quantities that are unfathomable. Quokkas are eating leftovers out of plastic wrappers and licking drinks out of littered single-use containers. Benches are covered in rubbish, and plentiful amounts of litter blow towards, and into the ocean.

The littering problem isn’t because visitors are all lazy, but because the bins provided are so far away that they are not visible from some areas in the settlement. Not a single bin is placed in the centre of the island’s settlement area, even though this is where most of the litter originates.

Additionally, when moving to some beaches further from the settlement, there are no bins at all. Therefore, rubbish is often left on the beaches as carrying it all around the island on a bike is inconvenient for some. The environmental department of the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) should take steps that encourage no littering. More bins are absolutely necessary to help us all conserve this paradise.  

I call for more bins on Rottnest Island for visitors to use with ease. I call for at least one bin in the centre of the settlement, if not more. I call for bins at regular intervals around the whole Island.  

This is such an easy fix to decrease the amount of litter around Rottnest Island. As Rottnest Island is a major tourist destination of WA and a sanctuary to so much wildlife, it is crucial that plastic pollution is minimised and the RIA takes steps to help visitors leave the Island better than when they arrived.