Did you know 95% of litter on our beaches is transported through stormwater drains from suburban areas?
Did you know 95% of litter on our beaches is transported through stormwater drains from suburban areas?
Did you know 95% of litter on our beaches is transported through stormwater drains from suburban areas?
The Litter Trackers: ‘Burbs to the Bay project connects scientists with schools and community groups to launch GPS tracked bottles into Geelong’s waterways to demonstrate how and where litter travels in our waterways.
The project aims to reduce littering in Geelong, Bellarine and the Surf Coast and educate communities about the environmental effects of litter on our waterways to empower individuals with the knowledge to make informed choices about preventable litter pollution.
The Litter Trackers: ‘Burbs to the Bay is a collaborative project between RMIT University, Corangamite Catchment Management Authority and Bellarine Catchment Network, supported by Coastcare Victoria and the Victorian Government. It is funded by the Coastcare Victoria Community Grants (reference number OPP-47712).
| Cowies Creek | Barwon River @ Gundog Lane | Barwon River @ Belmont Common | Spring Creek |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Geelong Secondary College August 2022 |
St Joseph's FLC August 2022 |
Geelong High School & Northern Bay College August 2022 |
Freshwater Creek Steiner School September 2022 |
Every year 0.8-2.7 million tons of litter enters waterways and oceans. From cigarette butts to plastic bottles, most of what we drop on the street is transported into local creeks and rivers by stormwater runoff and washed onto our beaches or into our oceans. Here, it slowly weathers and degrades over time into microplastic, accumulates on shorelines, sinks to the seabed or floats on the sea surface where it reduces water quality and causes harm to aquatic life.
Litter items may end up trapped in stream-side vegetation, collected by litter traps, or transported along the waterway where it eventually ends up in the ocean. Litter affects several of our industries such as fisheries and aquaculture, tourism and shipping, which has a direct and avoidable economic cost to local and state governments, and to communities.
The Victorian Government is working to protect our waterways and Port Phillip Bay by reducing litter. As part of the ‘Burbs to the Bay project, schools and community groups will release bottles fitted with GPS tracking devices in various creeks and rivers across greater Geelong to simulate the movement of litter through waterways.
The project aims to reduce littering by educating communities about the environmental impact of litter on our waterways through awareness raising, educational programs in schools and improving our understanding of how litter moves from our suburbs to our beaches, bays and oceans.
Through the Litter Trackers: ‘Burbs to the Bay project, everyone can join in driving change and building a cleaner, healthier future for Victoria’s waterways and bays.
Follow the Litter Trackers Project and:
Follow us on Facebook for updates on future projects including Geelong launches in 2022. Contact Monica at monica.tewman@rmit.edu.au if you would like to bring litter trackers to your local waterway.
The Litter Trackers was a collaborative project between RMIT University and Melbourne Water, supported the Victorian Government as part of the Port Philip Bay Fund project 6076. GPS tracked bottles were released into 5 waterways across Greater Melbourne. You can check out the Litter Trackers journeys through these waterways via the animation videos and tracking data provided in the links below.
Watch animations of the journeys other Litter Trackers have taken by clicking the buttons below.
Videos by Cordelia Brown
Web mapping capabilities designed and created by Dr Yuntian Bai and Mr Yaguang Tao from the RMIT University Geospatial Science Department, School of Science.
GPS tracking devices designed by Digital Matter.
AQUEST The Aquatic Environmental Stress Research Group at RMIT (formerly the research team at CAPIM - Centre for Aquatic Pollution Identification & Management) is Victoria's premier aquatic research group, which aims to identify and address the ecological impacts of pollution in aquatic environments.
Find out more about our researchers and the work that they are doing through Aquatic Environmental Stress (AQUEST).
Our researchers connect, create and share expertise and resources in our Research Centres and collaborations.
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.
