AUSMAP

02/10/2026

Join us next Sunday at Manly Cove for our monthly community microplastic sample! 🔍🌊

This month’s sample will be on the 2nd Sunday of the month (the 11th October) and 1 hour earlier (9am) due to daylight savings. Enjoy your long weekend and then come along the following Sunday for a beach clean with Cove Collective and an AUSMAP microplastic sample!

Microplastics are a growing issue in our waterways, and this is your chance to be part of understanding the problem. 🔍

Together, we’ll be collecting and analysing samples right on the shoreline, contributing valuable data to AUSMAP’s national microplastic database!

Whether you’re passionate about the environment, curious to learn more, or just keen to get involved locally, this event is a great way to make a real impact!

Event Details:

📍 Where: Manly Cove, West Esplanade - near Manly Art Gallery and Museum, Look for the AUSMAP flag in the sand (end of beach)
📅 When: Sunday, 11th October| 9am-11am
🌟Who: Everyone is welcome!

A big thank you to all of our amazing regular Manly Cove volunteers.

You can see our previous data on the hotspot map!

Keep an eye on our socials for any updates especially weather-related changes! ☔️

Come along and help us make microplastic pollution visible!

25/09/2026

Riverfest 2026!

A huge thank you to all the amazing volunteers who joined us, , No More Butts and Clean Up Australia for a day of citizen science, litter clean-up and protecting our local wildlife! 🔍💙

The litter clean-up saw more than 62 bags of litter collected, while the No More Butts cigarette butt clean-up collected an incredible 1,656 cigarette butts!

Natasha and Em from AUSMAP had many inspiring conversations with people who wanted to learn more about microplastics and the plastic pollution problem!

And, of course, we collected a AUSMAP microplastic survey for our national database, helping us build a better picture of plastic pollution in the Parramatta River!

Stay tuned for the microplastic results 🔍

Thank you to the City of Canada Bay for hosting such a great community event!

23/09/2026

Thank you Saki!

This past month Saki came all the way from Japan on a learning exchange program with OKC Australia.

Studying Nature, Sustainability and the Environment at Tokai University, Saki specifically sought to learn about microplastics during her stay in Sydney because of her love of ocean ecosystems and concern for their health. We are so grateful she decided to come along to AUSMAP! 🔍💙

Saki has been a sample processing powerhouse! She has learnt firsthand about the different kinds of microplastics we find on shorelines though characterisation and field sampling. A sample taken at Kissing Point Beach along the Barrametagal/ Parramatta River showed a notable increase in microplastics since our last sample taken there in 2020.

It has been so lovely getting to know you and sharing fairy bread and laughs in the office and around Sydney, Saki, and your passion for the environment and ocean that we share is truly inspiring! See you again soon?

Interested in interning with AUSMAP? Reach out to [email protected]!

17/09/2026

Want to learn how to sample for microplastics at your local beach? 🌊🔍

We are coming to Wollongong for a training day in our citizen science microplastic sampling method!

Want to contribute to our national database, run your own microplastic surveys on local shorelines and learn more about microplastics in our ocean and lives?

Join us at the Wollongong Surf Lifesaving Club and become accredited in the AUSMAP methodology!

Date: Tueaday 29 September 2026
Time: 9:00am-3:30pm

To register and for more information, follow the link: https://events.humanitix.com/ausmap-microplastic-training-day-wollongong-city-council-2026

We can’t wait to see you there!

This event is hosted by Wollongong City Council with support from Shellharbour City Council and the NSW Government’s Coastal Management Program.

16/09/2026

We are calling for urgent packaging reform!

At AUSMAP we see the effects of unregulated plastics on our shorelines nationally with over 70 microplastic hotspots identified.

Plastic isn’t just an environmental problem; it’s in our homes, communities and us, with no responsibility placed on producers to reduce their plastic impact.

Along with Boomerang Alliance , Kal Glanznig and other incredible organisations, we are fighting for urgent packaging reform.

The government has said no, but we have another chance! The Environment Ministers are meeting on the 18th of September; we need your help to spread the word and call for action on packaging!

See the link for an easy tool to send your local MP a letter calling for action!

https://www.theplasticcountry.com/

14/09/2026

See you this Sunday!

Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/spring-clean-ausmap-microplastics-sampling

🌏World Clean Up Day is Sunday 20 September! This global day of action brings communities together to tackle litter and waste – and there are plenty of ways to get involved during .

SAT 19 SEPT:
🧤FITA Clean-up, Kissing Point Park, Putney

SUN 20 SEPT:
💦Bedlam Bay Swim Site Clean-up, Gladesville: bit.ly/bedlam-bay-cleanup
🐦Spring Clean for the Godwits, Five Dock: bit.ly/spring-clean-for-godwits

SAT 26 SEPT:
🦎Clean Up Toongabbie Creek, Westmead: bit.ly/toongabbie-creek-cleanup-riverfest2026
🛶Kayak and Coffee, Duck River: bit.ly/kayak-and-coffee

Explore the full program: ourlivingriver.com.au/riverfest

Blacktown City Council Burwood Council City of Canada Bay City of Canterbury Bankstown City of Parramatta City of Ryde Cumberland City Council Hunter's Hill Council Inner West Council Strathfield Council Sydney Water NSW Environment Protection Authority Landcare NSW Greater Sydney Landcare Addventageous ParraParents - Parramatta District Parents Friends of Toongabbie Creek PluckFastic Harbour Trust Birdlife Southern NSW Sydney Olympic Park Where It's At Parramatta The Harbour School Sydney AUSMAP Total Environment Centre No More Butts Clean Up Australia

14/09/2026

Did you see AUSMAP’s Research Director, Dr Scott Wilson, on 60 Minutes Australia last night?

Plastic is everywhere — in the air, our food and even in us.

This episode of 60 Minutes explores the plastic problem in our everyday lives, from the plastic in our homes to its potential effects on fertility.

Dr Scott takes samples around Dimity’s home to see just how much microplastic is found in each room, from the kitchen and living room to her 8-year-old daughter’s room.

To see the results and hear from other scientists and activists in the space, including filmmaker Kal Glanznig , watch the full episode now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1peUr0FZ5D8?si=iDE4PFKPFq137Jev

Want to take action? Sign the petition by Boomerang Alliance and Kal Glanzing calling for regulation of plastic packaging, and send a letter to your local MP demanding change. https://www.theplasticcountry.com/

10/09/2026

Tune in to see Dr Scott Wilson on 60 minutes this Sunday

08/09/2026

🌏 Hunting for nurdles for the Great Nurdle Hunt !

AUSMAP’s Senior Science Officer Dr Natasha recently took part in The Great Nurdle Hunt, helping search our waterways and shorelines for one of the most overlooked forms of plastic pollution: nurdles.

🔍 But what exactly are nurdles?

Nurdles are tiny plastic pellets, usually just a few millimetres in size, that are used as the raw material to make everyday plastic products. They can be lost during manufacturing, transport or handling and, once they enter our waterways, can be incredibly difficult to remove.

Our NSW microplastic report showed that nurdles were present in 80% of AUSMAP samples taken in metropolitan Sydney since 2022!

Participating in events like the Great Nurdle Hunt is a quick and easy way to help build valuable data and raises awareness of this hidden source of plastic pollution. Once you see them you can’t unsee them!

Want to get involved? Check out the Great Nurdle Hunt website, or join our next AUSMAP microplastic survey which is at this very site on the 20th of September for .global and the Great Spring Clean!

Register for the community survey with - link in bio

07/09/2026

Yesterday’s Manly Cove event was a huge success, with lots of new faces joining us! 🌊💙

From sample collection to microplastic identification, our monthly Manly Cove events give participants the opportunity to experience citizen science in action while contributing valuable data to help us better understand microplastic pollution in Sydney Harbour.

Some participants also joined a The Great Nurdle Hunt where 160 nurdles were found in 45 minutes of searching, an incredible effort from those involved! Join your own Great Nurdle Hunt this September! Visit their page for more information on how to get involved!

A huge thank you to everyone who came along and helped make the morning a success!

If you’d like to help us keep this important long-term dataset running, consider making a donation via the link in our bio 💙

Want to join us at our next event? We’ll be at Halliday Park for our event with City of Canada Bay for Riverfest, see our previous post for more information! 🔍

Participants helping identify microplastics from their samples 🔍

🔍🌊

All the nurdles found during our nurdle hunt The Great Nurdle Hunt !!

The amazing nurdle hunters searching the high tide line 🔍

More nurdles in our AUSMAP sieve!

See you next month!