Seaside Scavenge 2026 - Take 3 For The Sea

Take 3 For The Sea – Seaside Scavenge

Trade Trash for Treasure: Take 3’s Seaside Scavenge is Coming to Mosman

There’s a moment on every beach clean up usually somewhere around the twentieth bottle cap or cigarette butt when you stop seeing rubbish and start seeing a problem you can actually help solve. That’s the moment we’re chasing on Sunday 20 September, 2026, from 10am to 2pm when Take 3 for the Sea brings our Seaside Scavenge to Balmoral Beach as part of the Mosman Sustainability Fair.

RESERVE A SPOT

Why we scavenge

Take 3’s message has always been simple: take 3 pieces of rubbish with you when you leave any place — beach, park, or waterway and you’re part of the solution. It sounds small. It isn’t. Every piece of plastic pulled off a beach is a piece that never reaches the ocean, never breaks down into microplastics, and never ends up in a fish, a bird, or eventually, us.

Balmoral Beach is one of Sydney’s most-loved stretches of coastline, the kind of place families have been visiting for generations. It deserves better than the cigarette butts, bottle tops, and food wrappers that wash up after every high tide and busy weekend. On the 20th, we’re inviting our community to help us give it that.

The details

What: Take 3’s Seaside Scavenge, part of the Mosman Sustainability Fair

When: Sunday 20 September, 10am – 2pm

Where: Balmoral Beach, Mosman NSW

Cost: Free

What to bring: Enclosed shoes and comfortable clothing (clean ups get hands-on), a hat and sunscreen, and your reusable drink bottle. Let’s keep the day itself plastic-free where we can.

How the Scavenge works

Here’s the fun part: this isn’t just a clean up, it’s a trade. For every 10 pieces of litter you collect and sort, you’ll earn a trash token and every token can be spent at Mosman Councils pop-up market stall stocked with pre-loved books, toys, and other treasures. Trash in, treasure out. It’s a small mechanic that makes a big difference to how a clean-up ‘feels’, less chore, more scavenger hunt.

More than a clean up

The Scavenge is just one part of a full day at the Mosman Sustainability Fair. Once your bag’s full (or your token pouch is), stick around for:

Live music from a local musician
Talks from Mosman’s environmental leaders and local eco-change-makers
Bike n’ Blend: pedal-powered smoothies, no shortcuts
Feature Creatures: up-close encounters with local wildlife
Wonder of Water Van : a hands-on look at where our water comes from and where it goes
A display of electric vehicles
Practical, no-jargon advice from an experts on cutting draughts (and energy bills) at home
A chance to meet the local organisations and community groups working toward a more sustainable Mosman

It’s a day built for anyone who wants to do something real for the ocean without needing to be an expert, own any gear, or clear their whole weekend.

What impact has Seaside Scavenge events had?

Since 2015 Seaside Scavenge has achieved the following: Delivered 90 events in 57 communities Educated 10,308 participants about waste as a resource Removed 15,133 kg of litter and 228,000 butts Redistributed 11,718 kg of pre-loved goods Engaged 556 businesses with their packaging practices Provided 320 community groups a platform to showcase through stalls, talks and workshops!

Every piece counts

At every Scavenge we sort the rubbish collected into categories, such as soft plastic, cigarette butts, coffee cups, and count up all the items. The resulting data is input into the Australian Marine Debris Database where it is used by researchers to inform strategies to stop marine pollution at source. We also provide an insightful ‘wrap-up report’ after each Scavenge which is shared with local Governments who use it to guide their strategies and initiatives around single-use plastic and zero waste. By 2030, Take 3 is working to remove and record 9 million pieces of rubbish from our coastlines.

Bring your friends, bring your family, bring your curiosity. Balmoral Beach and everything that swims past it will thank you.

Registration is free and takes two minutes. Register here and we’ll see you on the sand.