The perception of Four Mile Beach and surrounds as a pristine tropical paradise is under threat as remnants of fires and an ongoing litter problem present a grim reality.

To make matters worse, much of the rubbish which is left behind is washed away with the tide, adding to the already daunting issue of pollution in the Coral Sea.

Despite the efforts of conservation group, Tangaroa Blue, and a dedicated group of individuals who take it upon themselves to clean up other people's litter, the problem remains.

According to Tangaroa Blue's Heidi Taylor, the fight against litter has been made harder since Cairns Regional Council removed bins from key collection areas.

"After a successful trial period, the Cairns Regional Council removed the bins from three locations along Four Mile Beach and replaced them with one sign at the beach entrance at the end of Garrick Street.

"Reports from the CRC was that it took too long for contractors to empty the beach bins every week, so a sign indicating that bins were located up on the main road for those people who want to do the right thing replaced the actual bins."

Ms Taylor said that volunteers did the work of a full time employee in cleaning up the mess, and was disappointed the Council couldn't dedicate a fraction of the time to assist in keeping our beaches clean.

"With Tangaroa Blue volunteers logging up over 40 hours per week cleaning Port Douglas's Four Mile Beach, as well as many other locals and visitors contributing their time and efforts as well, we are disappointed that the CRC couldn't contribute two to three hours a week to empty bins that would help to prevent much of the litter being found along the beach.

"With over 50 per cent of the debris being removed from Four Mile Beach being left there by beach visitors, we believe that providing bins would provide the infrastructure to encourage people to do the right thing and not litter."

And it isn't just the conservation group that's taking up the fight for cleaner, and safer, beaches. For two years local residents Peter and Doris Priebe have been urging Council to tackle litter, fire, and alcohol issues.

"The goal here is to stop the fires and this will reduce drunken people gathering at the beach and the smoke pollution during the night," Mr Priebe said.

In an email to Cairns Regional Council Mayor, Val Schier, Mr and Mrs Priebe stated that issues they raised in 2009 were still relevant now.

"So far Council attempts at keeping the beach clean have been unsuccessful and the new beach sing (sic) has not stopped the fires or the rubbish and the glass left behind. However, the effect is more broken bottles remaining on the footpath or the whole lot is simply dumped along the public beach access."   

Tangaroa Blue records showed that in 2009, 24,220 items of rubbish were collected from Four Mile Beach by volunteers, with little change in the collection rate since that time.