Defence sites work to remove waste from Sydney Harbour

New Australian technology is helping to clean Sydney Harbour and show how to remove more plastic and other pollution out of Australian waterways. Trials of new Seabin Smart Technology at Sydney Harbour Defence sites have removed 2,920kg of plastic, fuels and detergents from Sydney Harbour in the past 12 months and plans are now underway to expand the technology.

At Garden Island the Seabin trial has been removing 140kg of waste per week, including one item of plastic every 40 seconds.

Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Science and Technology Melissa Price said the Defence trial had exceeded all expectations and that three permanent units would be maintained at Garden Island. “Over a two-week period, the Seabins captured 6,198 items of waste from Sydney Harbour, including 3,500 microfibres and microplastics, and 2,000 unidentifiable pieces of plastic waste,” Price said. “This is Australian technology which costs as little as $1 a day to run and which can have huge dividends for the environment.”

The one-year trial involving Defence and its industry partners, Veolia Environmental Services, was an example of the government’s commitment to tackling waste and recycling. The Remade in Australia recycling campaign is an important reminder of the role consumers can play as we transform the nation’s recycling capacity and take responsibility for our waste. Industry is certainly stepping up at the same time and innovative technology like the Seabin is another important example.

Plastic items collected over a two-week period:

Source: APDR

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