Litter Hotspots: Turn off the Tap - litter prevention & monitoring
Port Phillip EcoCentre
Turn Off the Tap - Catchment to Bay Litter Prevention and Monitoring project involved an extensive plastic litter data collection and monitoring program across multiple sites in the Yarra Bay catchment area. Port Phillip EcoCentre with its key partners: Beach Patrol Australia, Friends of Westgate Park, Upper Yarra Landcare, Yarra Riverkeeper, Tangaroa Blue and the Connies used their networks to undertake litter surveys, conduct school education activities and clean-up action at sites along the Bay, Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers and along smaller waterways within the catchment.
This project received the Clean Beach/Waterway - Community Project Award at the 2017 Keep Victoria Beautiful Sustainable Cities Awards.
Key achievements from this project included:
- involving 2,224 participants at 227 events
- a study into microplastics in the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay
- collecting more than 127,600 cigarette butts
- collecting more than 5,700kg of litter (including more than 26,821 foam items).
Resources
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Port Phillip EcoCentre - Turn off the tap: catchment to bay litter prevention & monitoring final report Report 5.6 MB
This report was written by the Port Phillip EcoCentre as part of their Litter Hotspots funded project 'Turn Off the Tap: Catchment to bay litter prevention and monitoring'. The report highlights the project's key activities, including communications, PR and marketing as well as litter reduction data and approaches taken to conduct an extensive plastic litter data collection and monitoring program across multiple sites in the Yarra Bay catchment area.
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The purpose of this pilot study was to: measure levels of micro-plastics entering Port Phillip Bay from the Maribyrnong and Yarra Rivers; document common streams of micro-plastic pollution including ‘nurdles’, polystyrene beads and fragments of assorted user plastics; and compare the pollution loads from both catchments to inform local strategies to address local sources of micro-plastics pollution.
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Port Phillip EcoCentre - Microplastics in the Maribyrnong and Yarra Rivers, 2017 Report 1.1 MB
This report measured the 'background' levels of microplastics entering Port Phillip Bay from the Maribyrnong and Yarra Rivers to document common streams of microplastic pollution.
External Links
The Port Phillip EcoCentre engaged local artists to produce the song 'A Little Bit of Litter', designed to make the public think twice about littering.
Last updated: 15/12/2017