Veteran volunteers have spent more than 13,000 hours helping to keep beaches clean across South Australia, as part of the state’s algal bloom response.

More than 240 Disaster Relief Australia volunteers from around the country have supported the beach clean-up operations on rotation since the start of September.

Established in 2016, Disaster Relief Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that unites the skills and experience of veterans and other dedicated volunteers to help communities prepare for and recover from disasters.

The organisation’s two-month operation in South Australia ended last week to allow volunteers to prepare for Australia’s upcoming higher-risk weather season, including bushfires, floods and cyclones.

During their SA deployment, the volunteers collected about 9,000kg of dead marine life from metropolitan beaches between North Haven and Seacliff.

The bulk of the material has been recycled into commercial compost.

The Algal Bloom Co-ordination Unit is managing the $6.3 million beach clean-up operations to help local councils and ensure people can continue to enjoy visiting the beach this summer.

The clean-up crews are made up of state government staff, workers from private company Goolwa Pipi Co and temporary contractors as required, covering beaches across Adelaide, the Fleurieu Peninsula and parts of Yorke Peninsula.

An extra 40 temporary staff will join the crews from this month to replace the Disaster Relief Australia volunteers.

The clean-up operations are funded as part of the joint $102.5 million Algal Bloom Summer Plan, which also includes daily reports on algal bloom conditions at popular beaches through Surf Life Saving’s Beachsafe app.

The toxic algal bloom has affected the southern Fleurieu coast since March and has since spread to much of the state but is yet to be declared a natural disaster.