What you can do

Animals
Environment
Health

Animals

When you leave rubbish behind, it doesn’t disappear. Often animals mistake it for food and this has a huge impact on their survival.

1 in 41

casualty crashes on country roads involves a vehicle hitting an animal.⁴⁸

Throwing food from your car could be the reason an animal is drawn to the road.

Only

1 in 1000

sea turtles will reach adulthood.⁴⁶

If a turtle eats just one piece of plastic, it will have a

1 in 5

chance of dying.⁴⁷

2050

it’s projected that the weight of plastic in the ocean will outweigh fish.⁴⁹

Move the slider below to see the changes over time

Now

2030

2040

2050

165 million tonnes of plastic

825 million tonnes of fish

Animals looking for food can get

trapped or caught

in cans or glass containers which can cause serious injury.

100,000

mammals die every year as a result of plastic pollution.¹⁹

Environment

Whether it’s your local park or your favourite beach, chances are some of your most loved spots are impacted by littering.

Illustration depicting bushfires across NSW.

Cigarettes can start fires

Lit cigarettes can start grass fires on the side of the road. Grass fires progress quite quickly and can pose a danger to property.⁷⁷

95%

of litter on beaches comes from suburban streets.⁵²

It travels down the street drains, through the stormwater systems. ⁴

Learn more about where litter goes

The Great Barrier Reef lost

half

of its coral between

1995 and 2017⁵¹

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More than 80%

of marine debris found in the

Great Barrier Reef is plastic, which can

smother coral, entangle wildlife

or be ingested by animals.⁵⁰

Plastic increases disease in coral

The likelihood of disease increases from 4% to 89% when corals are in contact with plastic.⁵³

Plastics scratch coral letting infection in

Bacteria and other harmful microorganisms are abundant in the water and on corals. When coral is damaged, that might invite diseases into the coral.⁵⁴

Plastic can block sunlight from reaching coral

If plastic debris blocks sunlight, it could lead to low-oxygen conditions that promote the growth of disease-causing bacteria.⁵⁵

Plastic in the water at Christmas Island

Health

See how litter in the environment can impact you and your family's mental and physical health.

If you drink bottled water, you’re consuming on average 90,000 microplastic particles a year, compared to tap water drinkers who consume 4,000 microplastic particles a year.⁵⁶

Over 20%

of Australian beach goers surveyed had injuries caused by

marine debris.⁵⁷

Injuries from beach litter

can lead to serious injuries

and long-term

hepatitis or tetanus

Tap to find out how long it takes

for each item to break apart

Coffee cups
Tossed in a second
30 years to break apart

Disposable cups appear to be made of paper, but the majority have a thin plastic lining, meaning they will never decompose.³⁵

Beverage container
Tossed in a second
400 years to break apart

One plastic bottle can break up over time into 10,000 pieces of microplastic. Glass bottles will never break down. They will stay in the environment for a million years if not recycled.³⁶

Cigarette butts
Tossed in a second
10 years to break apart

Cigarette filters are made from a plastic called cellulose acetate. When tossed into the environment, they dump not only that plastic, but also the nicotine and heavy metals.³⁴

Plastic bags
Tossed in a second
500 years to break apart

Australian’s use up to 10 million plastic bags every day, with around 150 million ending up in our oceans and waterways. Over 100,000 marine animals and 1,000,000 sea birds lose their life to plastic each year globally.³⁷

Take away containers
Tossed in a second
500 years to break apart

Take away food packaging makes up over 30% of litter items in NSW. Even biodegradable packaging can take hundreds and thousands of years to break apart.³⁹

Seagull pecking at takeaway container on beach

Confectionery wrappers
Tossed in a second
50 years to break apart

Wrappers are made of a mix of materials like plastics and aluminium, which will never break down and release toxins into the environment.³⁸

Explore other environments:

SKIP

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Plastic waste accumulates in five subtropical 'garbage patches' in the open ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the largest, and is formed as a result of ocean circulation driven by the changing wind fields around the Earth's rotation.⁶⁸

1.8 TRILLION pieces of plastic ⁶⁹ That’s 250 pieces for every human being 80 THOUSAND TONNES That’s about 1,000 space shuttles

And it’s TWICE THE SIZE of NSW and growing

And there are 4 others…

Top of page

Why it matters

Animals

1 in 41

1 in 1000

1 in 5

2050

Now

2030

2040

2050

trapped or caught

100,000

Environment

Cigarettes can start fires

95%

half

1995 and 201751

Plastic increases disease in coral

Plastics scratch coral letting infection in

Plastic can block sunlight from reaching coral

Health

Microplastics

credit card's

each week.80

Find out how much plastic you’re consuming and what you can do about it.

Hello

How often do you consume the following items?

Water info

Shellfish info

Beerinfo

Salt info

One last question, do you breathe? info

You’re consuming approximately

of plastic a week

That's like a

Warning

Coffee cups Tossed in a second 30 years to break apart

Beverage container Tossed in a second 400 years to break apart

Cigarette butts Tossed in a second 10 years to break apart

Plastic bags Tossed in a second 500 years to break apart

Take away containers Tossed in a second 500 years to break apart

Confectionery wrappers Tossed in a second 50 years to break apart

Explore other environments:

Great Pacific Garbage Patch

And there are 4 others…

Where rubbish goes

What You Can Do

How long it stays there

1995 and 2017⁵¹

each week.⁸⁰

Coffee cups
Tossed in a second
30 years to break apart

Beverage container
Tossed in a second
400 years to break apart

Cigarette butts
Tossed in a second
10 years to break apart

Plastic bags
Tossed in a second
500 years to break apart

Take away containers
Tossed in a second
500 years to break apart

Confectionery wrappers
Tossed in a second
50 years to break apart