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Litter Surveys

Help Us Turn Off the Tap for Single-Use Plastic Pollution. Conduct a Litter Survey.

Help us study litter without overlooking microplastics – to record the number of each type found per square metre in school grounds, streets, river/creek banks and beaches; collectively illustrating pollution pathways from the ‘burbs to the Bay. These zoomed in surveys can be completed by a small team in around 1 hour. Repeat surveys at dedicated search sites reveal if plastic pollution is increasing or decreasing over time. Data is entered into the Victorian Litterwatch database.

Resources

Make Your Litter Collection Go Further:
Your litter data provides insight into the source and quantities of different types of litter on our streets, rivers and beaches.

Litter Survey Video Tutorial

Beach Litter Audits are a great way to get an accurate picture of what types and quantities of litter are appearing on our beaches, thereby giving us an opportunity to speculate about the sources of this litter and what measures can be undertaken to reduce or eliminate these.

Download Beach Litter Survey Instructions
Download Beach Litter Survey Audit Sheet

Please send through your completed litter audit to Neil at Baykeeper@ecocentre.com

Reference sites are audited every 3 months and/or after unusually high flow events to track increase or decrease of litter items (particularly plastics) that are known to threaten wildlife and/or human health.

Download River/Creek Bank Litter Survey Instructions
Download River/Creek Bank Litter Audit Sheet

Please send through your completed litter audit to Neil at Baykeeper@ecocentre.com

Street Litter Audits are a great way to get an accurate picture of what types and quantities of litter are appearing throughout our suburban streets. Your submitted data will help make a case for legislation, education, infrastructure and enforcement to reduce litter items in our waterways.

Download Street Litter Survey Instructions
Download Street Litter Survey Audit Sheet

Please send through your completed litter audit to Neil at Baykeeper@ecocentre.com

Send completed audits to Baykeeper@ecocentre.com

Email the Baykeeeper

Waterways are the arteries of the Earth.

Plastic pollution is clogging waterways, endangering wildlife, the climate, and our way of life.

Data gathered through microplastic trawls and litter audits is helping the Port Phillip EcoCentre quantify plastic pollution, with the hope of influencing change at all levels, from grassroot to government. Contribute by conducting a litter survey today.

Community Programs

The EcoCentre acknowledges the Kulin Nations, including the Yalukit Willam clan of the Boon Wurrung language group, traditional custodians of the land on which we are located.

We pay respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to other First Nations and Elder members of our multicultural community.