General
Sydney beaches and rivers contain high levels of microplastics, scientists find
Kilos of tiny particles of plastic smaller than 5 millimetres are being found across Sydney’s beaches and rivers, highlighting the scale of the threat to local marine life and the risk to human health, scientists say.
Key points:
- Researchers say hotspots in Sydney include Dee Why, Botany Bay, Cooks River, Chipping Norton and Liverpool
- The highest in Sydney was at Manly Cove, where 4,000 microplastics per square metre were found
- Volunteers are finding solutions like mesh baskets in stormwater drains can prevent waterway pollution
Beaches like Dee Why and Watsons Bay are described as “hotspots” with levels as high as 1,000 microplastics per square metre, the Australian Microplastic Assessment Project (AUSMAP) has found.
But citizen scientists…
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