Recent research undertaken by CSIRO in six metropolitan areas in Australia has shown that plastic pollution littering our coastlines has dropped by more than a third over the last decade.
Co-author of the paper and Senior Research Scientist from CSIRO Dr Denise Hardesty said that with up to 53 million metric tonnes of plastic waste estimated to enter aquatic ecosystems by 2030, it was heartening to see a significant decrease in plastic pollution on Australian beaches and coasts.
“Three-quarters of the rubbish we find on our beaches is plastic, and flexible plastics, such as food packaging, are the most harmful to wildlife,” Dr Hardesty said.
Along with a 29 per cent reduction in plastic waste in coastal areas, we also saw a 16 per cent increase in areas we surveyed with no plastic debris at all.”
“Decreases of plastic pollution in the coastal environment were observed in Newcastle, Perth, and the Sunshine Coast, with increases in Hobart and Port Augusta.”
The areas researched included Hobart, Tasmania; Newcastle, New South Wales; Perth, Western Australia; Port Augusta, South Australia; Sunshine Coast, Queensland; and Alice Springs in the Norther Territory.
Pictured to the right is a diagram produced by the CSIRO showcasing the most prevalent items found within each surveyed Australian metropolitan region.
A total of 8,383 debris items were recorded across 1,907 surveys within a 100-kilometre radius of each city.
Dr Steph Brodie, CSIRO Research Scientist and co-author, said the surveys help to identify debris hotspots, understand how land use influences debris in the environment, and how waste ends up on our coastlines.
“Understanding the types and amount of plastic pollution in our environment provides critical data to develop strategies to stop ending up there in the first place.”
“These results will help to inform waste management and can be used to evaluate and measure the effectiveness of plastic waste policies, practices and education campaigns to reduce debris in metropolitan regions.”
Container Deposit Schemes’ positive impacts on plastic pollution
Container deposit schemes across Australia are, at their core, litter reduction schemes. These schemes represent a form of extended producer responsibility, sometimes framed as a ‘polluter pays’ principle, whereby manufacturers of an item bear the cost of managing the waste at the products end-of-life stage.
By putting a price of these materials, in this case a 10-cent refund for every eligible drink container, consumers are incentivised to return these items correctly which allows for better recycling through source separation leading to high value recycling outcomes. Read more on the benefits here!
Collecting and returning eligible drink containers is an easy way to support Australia’s domestic circular economy, and keep our parks and waterways clean and litter free.
Find out more about how you can start participating in your local CDS here.
Read more about the research undertaken by CSIRO here.
