Pia Boschetti, known as 'the girl with the pearl farm', is the passion behind this annual clean up. With a deep connection to the islands, Pia was inspired to remove rubbish from the Abrolhos Islands. Pia said the idea for the Flotsam and Jetsam Art Awards came about 12 years ago when she and volunteers were wondering what to do with the rubbish they collected.
From a simple suggestion of letting artists select bits of collected litter, Pia said "I saw a vision of bringing the rubbish in, putting it on the wharf and artists coming down and taking it away and then bringing it back in the form of artwork that I could exhibit in my jewellers shop in Geraldton." Flotsam and Jetsam was formed and now over 80 tonnes of litter has been removed from the Islands.
This year from 1 - 3 March Keep Australia Beautiful is auditing the types of litter collected at the Islands, and sponsoring the Flotsam and Jetsam Art Exhibition. Find out more about collecting items.
