The amount of polystyrene collected in the nation’s urban rivers and catchments has halved in 12 months, following voluntary bans on its use in consumer packaging and food products, causing federal government to consider making them mandatory.
The interim findings were released last week by Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA), in line with the same day’s #SeaToSource National Day of Action, which is part of CVA’s marine plastic partnership with Federal Government and CSIRO, with events in all capital cities.
These results are a strong message to both governments and investors worldwide, as the Australian government prepares for the Nature Positive Summit next year, with particular focus on a Nature Repair Market.
When Federal Government announced the National Plastics Plan back in March 2021, it required businesses to voluntarily phase out both loose and rigid polystyrene in consumer packaging by June 2021, and consumer food containers by December 2022, or potentially face mandatory bans.
With its membership comprising some of the nation’s biggest users, the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) was charged with delivering the task.
#SeaToSource has seen 50 of the largest businesses nationwide, and around 10 thousand Australians count, collect and contain more than 360 thousand litter items, 80 per cent of which is plastic, from entering the Great Barrier and Southern Reef’s since September 2020.
Polystyrene has dropped from first place to fifth place in the two years since, however, falling from 21 per cent to 10 per cent of all plastic waste, and now continuing the trend in the third year making up 10 per cent as of January.
CVA CEO Phil Harrison commented, “Polystyrene has long been the worst offender in our waterways. To see its volume halve in just 12 months on the back of a voluntary ban suggests real progress can be achieved when government, business, science and conservation volunteers all work towards common, common-sense goals.”
Thin plastic bags showed little change, contributing about two per cent of total waste, suggesting state-and-territory bans phased in over the past decade have continued to reduce pressure on the nation’s waterways.
Cigarette butts have replaced polystyrene in the top place, almost doubling in volume from around eight per cent to 15 per cent of all plastics collected.
CSIRO senior researcher Dr Denise Hardesty says survey data increases our knowledge on the extent of plastic pollution across a range of areas.
Over the two years the number of Australians volunteering doubled from around 2800 to 4700, and in the first four months of the third year there has already been over 1500. This helped to grow the size and integrity of plastic and litter data CSIRO had access to, contributing to its national baseline and monitoring efforts.
“The contribution from Conservation Volunteers Australia’s #SeatoSource program is helping us better understand what rubbish is where,” said Hardesty.
“Modern people-powered, data-driven programs like #SeaToSource that connect Australians with nature at scale are critical to ensuring Australia’s environment – and economy – is dressed for success when the nation needs it most,” Harrison concluded.
