Research Shows Plastic Pollution on Australia’s Beaches Is Declining

CSIRO researchers conducted 563 new coastal surveys, and interviews with waste managers across 32 local governments around Australia. Image supplied by CSIRO

New research by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has revealed that plastic pollution on Australia’s beaches has decreased by almost a third since 2013.

Lead researcher and recent PhD graduate from CSIRO and the University of Tasmania, Kathryn Willis, said in a release on Thursday that waste control is generally driven at a local level, so their research looked at identifying which regional government approaches were most effective at reducing plastic pollution on beaches.