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New South Wales
AUSMAP NSW
THE NSW STORY
There have been over 600 AUSMAP surveys taken across NSW, from Bermagui in the south to Byron Bay in the far north. High and Very High results are generally found at estuarine, harbour side and urban coastal sites, while Very Low results (0-10 mp/m2) are more common in regional areas.
Hotspot Map of Eastern NSW and Sydney region. Black points indicate very high microplastic loads (> 1000mps/m2)
Manly Cove, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, is our longest dataset with sampling undertaken monthly since mid-2018. Over eighty samples have been collected from this harbour beach by AUSMAP and community members.To our knowledge, this is the longest consistent dataset reporting microplastic pollution at a site nationally, and possibly globally. On average, our citizen scientists continually quantify microplastic loads of High (251-1,000 mp/m2) or Very High (1,001-10,000 mp/m2) on AUSMAP’s grading scale.
To learn more about our longest running microplastic data set, go to our Manly Cove page here:
Sydney's famous harbour
Another site in Sydney's Harbour, Rose Bay, located in the affluent eastern suburbs, has been frequently monitored by AUSMAP and our corporate groups with over 20 surveys since mid-2022. The first quarter of 2024 recorded this site's first Very High microplastic rating at 1,705/m2, followed by sustained elevated loads throughout 2025 Despite fluctuations due to possible weather events, Rose Bay consistently shows elevated microplastic levels, with the dominant plastics being foam (48-51%), hard fragments (27-29%), and industrial pellets (11-21%) over the last 4 years of surveys. Also notable is the increased presence of fibres and synthetic grass in 2024–2025. Synthetic grass levels increased more than tenfold compared to 2022, reaching a single-day maximum of 43 items m⁻² in June 2025. Its consistent detection across the 2024–2025 surveys indicates an emerging and increasingly persistent source of microplastic contamination at the site.
Changes in microplastic loads at Rose Bay (2022-2025)
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Rose Bay and Manly Cove are therefore considered microplastic hotspots which require immediate source reduction measures and improved education for behaviour change throughout the community and industry.
Hotspot Map demonstrating the "Very High" microplastic loads at Planespotting Beach, Sydney
significant pollution
Additionally, the Cooks River which flows into Botany Bay was found to have Moderate loads at several sampling locations along its length and Very High microplastic loads near its mouth (Tower Beach - Planespotting Beach) and is another major source of micro pollution into the nearshore environment. Additional monitoring of microplastics along the length of these urban river systems is required. Similarly, the Georges River Catchment also shows consistent high microplastic loads. You can read our Georges River Catchment Summary Report for the periods Nov 2024 – Feb 2025 here.
Good News Story
On the NSW south coast, the Kiama Community Group has been collecting data since 2019 from several sites at quarterly intervals (over 40 surveys to date). Sites sampled include Bombo Beach, Black Beach, Kendalls Beach, Surf Beach, Harbour Beach, Jones Beach, Little Beach and Seven Mile Beach near Kiama. The efforts of this group have confirmed that microplastic pollution in this region is Very Low to Low, and is subject to temporal variation. This long-term dataset provides critical baseline values to which all future samples can be compared.
DO you want to help us put microplastics on the map?
Our corporate team building initiatives provide the opportunity for your team to be involved in collecting or sorting a real-life scientific microplastic sample. Our method allows everyone to be involved, either in the field or in your office!
Enquire today to find out how:
