The first certified plastic-free surf club on the Gold Coast, doing their bit to keep single-use plastic out of our oceans, protecting more than people between their flags.
On World Ocean Day, June 8, 2026, Currumbin Beach Vikings Surf Life Saving Club became the Gold Coast’s first surf club and restaurant to be named a Plastic Free Champion through the Boomerang Alliance’s Plastic Free Places program. The numbers behind their success are undeniable: in a single patrol season, they eliminated over 2,000 pieces of single-use plastic.
For Currumbin Beach Vikings, sustainability isn’t separate from lifesaving, it’s an extension of it. The Club’s CEO, Michael Sullivan emphasises, as lifesavers, “We’re here for the ocean. We protect people in the ocean, but we also want to protect the ocean.” Being right on the water means being advocates for the marine life and ocean at our very doorstep.
What started as a conversation about environmental responsibility has become a blueprint for change, one that other clubs can absolutely follow. Demonstrating that small, practical adjustments to everyday operations leads to significant plastic waste reduction.
Today’s Behaviours. Tomorrow’s Reality.
While walking along Currumbin Beach one day, Committee Member, Katie Barton-Harvey noticed a plastic water bottle washed ashore, covered in barnacles. It was a powerful reminder of the lasting impact of our everyday choices and how simple swaps can help protect our beautiful beaches.
For Katie, environmental stewardship has always gone hand in hand with lifesaving. Alongside her volunteer role at the club, Katie works professionally as the SEQ Project Coordinator for Plastic Free Places, helping businesses and communities reduce their reliance on single-use plastics and kickstarting the sustainability journey for the club.
With plastic making up more than 80% of litter found across Australia (Clean Up Australia Litter Report FY25), the Vikings Club saw an opportunity to lead by example and reduce their footprint. To support their journey, they signed up to two free sustainability programs: the Queensland Government’s ecoBiz program and the Boomerang Alliance’s Plastic Free Places initiative.
Together, the programs provided practical advice, expert support and achievable actions that helped shape the club’s five-year sustainability strategy, proving that meaningful change doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag.
Small Changes. Big Results
Rather than trying to change everything overnight, Currumbin focused on simple improvements that would make the biggest difference.
On patrol, single-use plastic water bottles and takeaway coffee cups were replaced with reusable alternatives. Patrolling members received a coffee or iced beverage in a reusable cup to encourage the swap and water refill stations were introduced on patrols to reduce the reliance on single-use plastic water bottles. Across the 2025–26 season alone, that prevented more than 2,000 pieces of plastic from being used.
At Kinship, the surf club-managed café, customers are encouraged to bring reusable cups for take-away coffees and get a 50-cent discount, while takeaway plastic packaging has been cut out or replaced with compostable alternatives. The club has also embraced container refund schemes to reduce waste even further.
Behind the scenes, everyday operational changes are adding up too, from energy-saving light bulb audits and fridge checks to smarter air-conditioning use.
The club has also extended its sustainability efforts beyond its own walls, working with suppliers to reduce unnecessary packaging and hosting its first Clean Up Australia Day event, bringing together volunteers and members of the local community.
A Roadmap for Clubs
The first step is to name it early. Surf Life Saving is one of the most trusted community movements on our coastline, placing us in a unique position to lead by example and encourage more sustainable ways of caring for the places we all love.
One of the biggest lessons from Currumbin’s journey is that you don’t need to have all the answers before you begin and even the smallest of changes can create a ripple effect that creates benefits even beyond the ones you expect.
Michael encourages clubs to focus on bringing members along for the journey.
“Take people on the journey,” he says. “…communicating why we’re doing it and how we’re doing it,” is the key to building support and encouraging lasting behaviour change.
Every small success creates momentum for the next.
The same free government-supported programs that helped Currumbin are available to surf clubs across Queensland, providing practical advice and support to reduce waste, improve efficiency and build more sustainable operations.
Currumbin’s story shows that protecting our beaches isn’t just about what happens between the red and yellow flags. Sometimes it’s the choices we make behind the scenes that leave the biggest legacy. Protecting people starts with protecting the places we patrol. By embedding environmental stewardship into our everyday operations, we can help build more resilient coastal communities and safeguard Queensland’s beaches for future generations.
The next time you stop in at Currumbin SLSC for a coffee or a meal or opt for a reusable option, you’re supporting more than your local surf club, you’re helping protect the coastline we all love.
Get Started
Want to explore sustainability at your club?
The Plastic Free Places program and the Queensland Government’s ecoBiz sustainability program are both free to participate in and can help your club take the first step towards reducing waste, cutting costs and protecting our coastline.
Find out more about Currumbin Vikings Surf Club’s Plastic Free Initiative here: Currumbin Vikings Surf Club: Reusable Patrols | Case Studies