Cleaner oceans for a brighter future in Coffs

3 years ago | by Melissa Nunn

Our oceans are drowning in a plague of plastic pollution that is only going to increase in the coming years. With eight million tonnes of plastic entering the world’s ocean each year, National Geographic forecasted that the amount will nearly triple by 2040.

To help wage the war against plastic pollution Prosper Coffs initiated the installation of a Seabin in the Coffs Marina, with the help of the community and Bishop Druitt College. This last week we discovered the impact the Seabin has had on our Marina over the course of a year. We were blown away by the results!

What we found out

65.4kg of marine debris analysed from 34 data collections.

3.1kg on average of debris is captured per day.

41.1% of the debris was microfibres and microplastics

What does this mean for the Marina?

We are addressing the issue of plastic pollution and cleaning up the marina! The main source of pollution is microplastics and microfibres, which is smaller plastic pieces between 2- 5mm long. These plastics find their way into the stomach of marine mammals, like birds, fish and even plankton. The Seabin is not only cleaning up our marina, but is protecting our marine life!