Interesting Facts

• It’s illegal to throw plastic into the sea.
• Sometimes what you think is just a sand bar or a reef is defined as land under Australian law.
• Vessel operators can be fined up to A$260,000 for illegally dumping garbage at sea.
• Fishing nets can endanger the lives of marine animals.
• You can help by reporting polluters.
• You can help by disposing of your rubbish responsibly.
• Oil is a natural product and can break down naturally unlike plastic.
• Litter thrown on the ground can end up in our waterways and oceans.
• Most pollution in the sea originates from being thrown away on land.
• Each year plastic waste kills up to 100,000 marine mammals.
• Each year plastic waste kills up to 1 million seabirds.
• Each year plastic waste kills countless fish.
• It takes longer for the sun to break apart plastic in the ocean than its does on land.
• The North Pacific Gyre is a gigantic swirling vortex in the Pacific Ocean which has collected rubbish from all over the Pacific and is now the size of NSW.