MORE than 40 walkers and kayakers joined an effort to rescue rubbish from Tingalpa Creek on Clean Up Australia Day.
The paddle, hosted by Redlands Kayak Tours and Positive Change for Marine Life, saw people retrieving rubbish from the upper reaches of the creek near Capalaba.
Volunteers retrieved 3482 rubbish items with a combined weight of 456 kilograms.
The majority was plastic, with 215 plastic bottles and 100 plastic bags collected.
More than 100 cigarette butts and lighters were also found and several abandoned shopping trolleys were retrieved from in and around the creek.
Redlands Kayak Tours owner Katrina Beutel said paddlers had observed a lower volume of rubbish than previous years.
"This is our third clean up at Tingalpa Creek and it seems we're slowly making progress," Ms Beutel said.
"(On Clean Up Australia Day) we were overwhelmed with the number of people who turned up.
"A lot of younger people were there too, so that was wonderful to see."
Clean Up Australia Day 2019 was the first since the ban on single use plastic bags and Containers for Change scheme were introduced, and Ms Beutel said people seemed to be more conscious of where their litter ended up.
The paddle coincided with the expansion of PCML's River Warriors project into the Redlands.
The project sees PCML collecting data on debris and rubbish in waterways through kayak-based surveys and rating the health of the waterway.
In its second phase, PCML uses community engagement programs and mitigation measures such as nets and traps to address waterway pollution.
PCML co-founder Karl Goodsell said Tingalpa Creek was highly ecologically diverse, but was under threat from urbanisation and associated pollution.
He said 11 surveys would be run by the organisation before the waterway health report was produced and phase two could begin.
Ms Beutel said she hoped the PCML program would raise awareness of waterway health in the Redlands and showcase the natural environment.