Adopt A Spot Scheme

Carly Lynch coined Adopt a Spot and designed three founding pillars to guide the scheme in its ambition to support the debris collections with data capture, education and sustainable practices.

Adopt a Spot Scheme (AASS) is a community-based volunteer run program that focuses on minimising marine debris through regular collections and removal of waste at self-designated areas. Founded in March 2017 at a Clean Up Australia Day event, Chris Lemar decided a more strategic, less tokenistic approach was needed to preserve the coast by inviting volunteers to adopt and clean a section of coast on a regular basis. Widely embraced by the community, the scheme decided to expand to involve all areas including schools, parks and waterways.Between January-September 2022, AASS currently looks after over 192 adopted spots around South Australia, has contributed 3165 volunteer hours and collected 63,306 cigarette butts and an estimated 3318kg of waste.