- CSIRO research finds 39% decrease in plastic waste across six of Australia's coastal cities over the past 10 years
- Plastic packaging, cigarette butts and polystyrene continue to dominate counts
- Australia's plastic use is still projected to more than double by 2050
A new CSIRO study has revealed national policies and clean up efforts by volunteers and community groups are helping to drive down plastic pollution on Australia's beaches, but that more work is needed from governments and industry.
AMCS Plastics Campaign Manager Cip Hamilton said: "Any decrease in the amount of plastics found on our beaches is great to see. The CSIRO's recent results show us that government policies, community efforts, and clean-up initiatives can make a real dent in stopping plastic pollution.
"But there's much more to be done. Australia's plastic use is still climbing and is projected to more than double by 2050 without strong action. We know that the more plastic we use, the more plastic ends up polluting our environment.
"We can't keep relying on the incredible work undertaken by community groups and volunteers in picking up rubbish. About 145,000 tonnes of plastic enters the Australian environment every year. That's over 250 kilograms every minute.
"We need to stop the problem at the source and cut the onslaught of plastic packaging on our shelves by banning unnecessary plastics and having better design rules.
"We welcome the findings of this latest research by the CSIRO that saw a heartening 39% drop in plastic collected around coastal cities in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. Importantly, it also recommends that we need stronger efforts from the government and industry to keep plastic off our beaches.
"It's also promising to see product stewardship schemes, such as refunds for beverage containers, leading to a decrease in littered bottles and cans.
"Yet bottle caps and other single-use plastics like food packaging, food labels, cigarette butts and polystyrene continue to dominate the pollution recorded on Australian beaches.
"Corporations must be financially accountable for the packaging they place on our shelves and, importantly, we need government regulation to decrease the tidal wave of plastics that is inundating our beaches and oceans.
"A turtle has a 22% chance of dying if it eats just one piece of plastic. We recently saw a 90-day-old seabird chick over on Lord Howe Island with over 400 pieces of plastic in its stomach - the researchers could feel the crunch of plastics beneath their fingers as they handled the birds. This is not normal. This is not okay. We urgently need more action."
