Driving along Moreton Island on family camping trips was a stop-start affair for Ned Heaton.
Every time a bit of rubbish was spotted, he and his sister were put out of the car to pick it up.
It had a profound impact on the young boy from Tamborine Mountain.
At just 11 years’ old, his passion for cleaning up the oceans led him to found The Turtle Tribe, now one of Australia’s largest suppliers of bamboo toothbrushes.
“It’s not nice to see it (rubbish) on the beach,” Ned said, explaining that no sooner did he clear the beach than the tide would bring in a pile more, including large numbers of toothbrushes.
“That’s the visual impact but there are all these other impacts – on animals and human health disrupting our endocrine systems. It can contribute to climate change emitting greenhouse gasses as it breaks down.
“It’s quite a serious issue beyond just plastic washed up on the beach.”
He came up with the idea for The Turtle Tribe, selling bamboo toothbrushes, after enrolling in the course Youth in Business and was encouraged to start a business around something he was passionate about.
Ned began offering free bamboo toothbrushes to customers and giving 10 per cent of all profits to his charity partner Ocean Crusaders as well as Sea Shepherd.
However, his work goes beyond the environment. He also provides bamboo toothbrushes in packs for children fleeing domestic violence through the charity Caring Kids.
In 2021 at 14 years old Ned, along with his father Shane, wrote his first book, Say No to Plastics, a children’s rhyming picture book, which was shortlisted in the Environment Awards for Children’s Literature in 2022.
“We wanted a way to reach and educate the younger generations. We are the ones that have the most at stake in ensuring the future of the world and it’s a great tool for young kids to learn about the issue,” Ned explained.
Now 18, Ned has just graduated from the Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology with an International Baccalaureate.
However, it’s the wonderful teachers from St Bernard Primary School and local speech and drama trainers that he credits with much of his success and preparing him for the many media opportunities and talks he has given since launching The Turtle Tribe.
“I’ve had a lot of help from a lot of people to get where I am now and very grateful,” he said.
With school behind him, Ned plans to head off to Australian National University to study economics as well as continue to devote his time to expanding the business and his mission to reduce plastics.
“We are focused on growing the business and its impact, expanding into more plastic free toothpaste products and plastic free silk floss which we are taking internationally to the United States, the United Kingdom and Malaysia,” he shared.
“There is no need to make a toothbrush out of plastic.
“Every plastic toothbrush you use is still in the world somewhere and takes 500 to 700 hundred years to break up in the environment.
“Every toothbrush and tooth floss we sell is one less plastic equivalent that will be used and thrown out and put in the waterways and ocean.”
Ned said he hoped to encourage other children to follow their dreams and do what they’re passionate about and his advice to them is to, “take action and get started.”
“Build the plane as your flying it.
“It’s empowering and positive to have a way to be able to take action because hope can come from action. Just worrying about it won’t get anything done.
“I’m happy, excited and proud that we can have a positive impact for the environment and funding ocean conservation charities.”
Say No to Plastics is available to borrow from the library or buy at the post office.
