Beverage company Lion New Zealand, its hospitality venue partners and the charity Sustainable Coastlines removed 1700 litres of rubbish from the country’s beaches and streets last year.

About 200 volunteers conducted targeted clean-ups from Dunedin in the South Island to Orewa Beach in the north of Auckland to remove rubbish accumulated on the country’s beaches.

Lion New Zealand’s sustainability advisor, Lorietta Bahr, said “collective effort” goes a long way in protecting the environment.

“Over the course of eight clean-up events, we collected enough litter to fill more than 13 bathtubs. We found everything from cigarettes and food packaging to old clothes, empty LPG gas bottles and broken toys.

“We can all help to reduce the amount of litter that ends up in our environment by being mindful of what we purchase, looking at the waste generated in our business, opting for reusable containers where possible and saying no to unnecessary packaging.”

Sustainable Coastlines CEO, Josh Borthwick, said every volunteer is creating a small ripple that builds larger waves of change.

“Our corporate partners such as Lion are an important part of the work we do to clean up beaches and take action to reduce litter in our oceans.”