In the first three months of 2026 our incredible AUSMAP Ambassadors have already completed 25 microplastic surveys across 4 states and 2 islands! Communities Leading the Way Across Australia local communities have made a big impact! Proving that meaningful environmental research doesn’t only happen in laboratories, it happens on beaches, in backyards, and through the dedication of everyday people! Victor Harbor Coastcare SA started the year off right with 2 samples, one on Esplanade Beach on the 18th January, and another at Hayborough on the 1st February.  The year began strongly with Victor Harbor Coastcare SA , who completed two early samples at Esplanade Beach and Hayborough. Their work set the tone for what would become a wave of grassroots action across the country. Soon after, Plastic Free Noosa  contributed a sample from Marcus Beach in Queensland, demonstrating how local initiatives can feed directly into broader environmental understanding. Meanwhile, our ongoing monthly sampling with the Cove Collective  has continued to grow in both energy and impact. February’s session with Reshaping Waste  was joined by special guest Amanda Cohn, while March saw an incredible turnout of 45 participants for a combined Clean Up Australia  and Ocean Lovers Festival  sampling event with Roland from Emu Parade  and Ben and Jerry’s Manly supplying coffee and ice cream. These moments show how citizen science doesn’t just collect data, it builds community, awareness, and momentum. Our Clean Up Australia Day and Ocean Lovers Festival March Manly Cove sample Over in Western Australia, our longtime friends at Bottle Top Hill  added to the effort with a repeat sample from Bicton Baths, while Ten Little Pieces  impressed us with their beautiful sample processing and pictures of buckets used at the beach to encourage rubbish collection for their 2 samples on the 6th of Feb at Sunshine and Sunrise beach in QLD.  Ten Little Pieces beautiful Sunshine Beach sample processing From Mainland to Remote Shores Citizen science knows no boundaries. Leonie and Wayne, two incredible ambassadors, have been travelling the country with a sieve and bucket in hand. Their contributions from Lord Howe Island (Neds Beach and Old Settlers Beach) not only provided valuable samples to our hotspot database , but also captured the beauty and vulnerability of these remote environments. Leonie and Wayne at Neds Beach on beautiful Lord Howe Island, 15 Feb In Sydney, the Clovelly AUSMAP Community Group, led by Ross Feller, continued their dedicated local efforts! Then we took an excursion to Karta Pintingga/ Kangaroo Island thanks to the SA Citizen Science Grants from the Department of Environment and Water . We collaborated with the incredible Friends of Parks K.I. Western Districts  organised by Bev and Collin for a sample at Vivonne Bay.  Rounding out the quarter, Hastings Environmental Rotary  in Port Macquarie contributed their third sample from the region at Oxley Beach! Community day with Friends of Parks K.I. Western Districts at Vivonne Bay, Kangaroo Island, 7 March. This project is supported by the DEW Environmental Small Citizen Science Grants 2023 Meanwhile, our Senior Science Officer Dr Natasha Franklin collected a total of 7 samples in her own time documenting the high loads of plastic brought in by weather and swell in the past few months. The bottom 1mm sieve from Dr Natasha's microplastic sample at Colins Flat beach Why Citizen Science Matters Each of these samples tells a story. On their own, they are snapshots. But together, they form a powerful dataset that helps us understand how plastic pollution moves, accumulates, and impacts our coastlines. It empowers individuals and communities to take part in real scientific action. It builds awareness and stewardship, turning concern into action. It expands our data set far beyond what our small team could achieve. And critically, it provides the data needed to drive change, from local cleanups to national policy discussions. Without the contributions of volunteers, ambassadors, and community groups, this level of insight simply wouldn’t be possible. A Collective Effort To everyone who has taken part, whether collecting samples on beaches, sorting debris in the office, or supporting these efforts behind the scenes, thank you. Your time, energy, and care are what make this work possible! Citizen science is more than participation. It is collaboration, connection, and impact! Want to get involved with AUSMAP and become a volunteer? Submit your interest here!

AUSMAP's shoreline monitoring provides some of the first site-specific evidence of synthetic grass fibres accumulating in Metropolitan Sydney waterways.  Synthetic grass installations are now commonplace across Australia, appearing everywhere from community and elite sports fields to school playgrounds, party boats, residential yards and public landscaping . These surfaces have been associated with a range of concerns, including surface temperatures reaching up to 75 °C  on hot days, increased player injury risk, reduced biodiversity, and intensified urban heat , particularly in Sydney's Western Suburbs. This increasingly popular plastic product has the potential to release microplastics into surrounding drains, parks, and waterways, contributing to a growing and largely unmanaged source of urban plastic pollution.  Artificial greenery, including synthetic grass observed along tide line of Manly Cove, Sydney - May 2025 Shoreline surveys by AUSMAP demonstrate the presence of synthetic grass fibres in Metropolitan Sydney waterways dating back to 2019. How do synthetic fibres enter the environment? Synthetic grass microplastic fibres are released from their source, such as sporting fields, residential yards, playgrounds, and landscaped areas, through everyday wear, weathering and maintenance activities. Once mobilised, these fibres can enter the surrounding environment via the stormwater network. There, they persist in sediments and along shorelines, where they can act as sponges for other environmental pollutants and be ingested by wildlife. Importantly, this demonstrates that synthetic grass materials are not confined to their points of installation but are dispersed into the wider urban environment. How much synthetic grass has AUSMAP found? Recent AUSMAP data show that synthetic grass fragments are becoming increasingly common in Sydney’s waterways. At regularly monitored locations, such as Rose Bay in Sydney Harbour, synthetic grass debris has increased approximately tenfold between 2022 and 2025 , reaching over 20 blades per square metre. Similarly, at Manly Cove, synthetic grass fragments were first detected in 2019, and concentrations have since tripled , despite natural year-to-year fluctuations. The highest average concentration recorded to date was at Tower Beach (Gamay/Botany Bay), where up to 2,500 blades per m²  were recorded in 2024. Local stormwater inputs, rainfall patterns, and nearby synthetic grass fields in the Botany Bay region likely contribute to the high and variable amounts seen at this site. We need action to prevent further loss into our environment. Microplastic synthetic grass blades at Bondi Beach We are calling for: A 5-year moratorium on new planning and approvals for synthetic grass fields until further research and information on potential human and environmental harm from these fields is clarified. Enforcement of Australian Standards for pollution mitigation measures on synthetic grass fields and more detailed guidelines for field management to be implemented on all existing synthetic fields as soon as possible. Invest substantial effort into improving drainage and the condition of natural grass fields to avoid synthetic grass. Local governments to provide a truly balanced cost-benefit analysis at the end-of-life of synthetic fields compared to those of natural turf. Do you want to learn more about synthetic turf? You can read about the rest of our work on synthetic grass and rubber crumb here , including a deep dive into quantifying how much rubber crumb is coming off synthetic playground flooring. Hosted by AUSMAP and Seabin Foundation , our Beyond the Surface event dove into the impacts of synthetic grass on our environment - followed by an expert panel. Watch the presentation here: Join us in our call for action? Send a letter to your local MP using our easy-to-use template!

“Getting to the UN treaty table takes years of research, data, and community action — and staying there takes ongoing support. We’ve made it this far, and with your help, we can turn this treaty into real change.”  — Dr Scott Wilson, AUSMAP Research Director AUSMAP at the Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations in Geneva Dr Scott on the second row behind the #BreakFreeFromPlastic banner | Photo credit: Trixie Guerrero From 05 to 14 August 2025,189 nations and more than 650 observer groups — from NGOs to scientists to industry lobbyists — gathered in Geneva for the latest round of talks on the Global Plastics Treaty 2025 . This treaty seeks to be the first legally binding global agreement to end plastic pollution. For AUSMAP, this moment is the result of years of citizen science, mapping microplastics across Australia, and pushing our government to take action. Now, we’re bringing that data to the world stage. But after days of tense talks, the negotiations ended in stalemate . The sticking point? Whether to include a binding cap on single-use plastic production  — the very source of the problem. Other issues that remain unresolved include how to address plastic pollution across its entire life cycle and whether to tackle human health impacts and harmful chemicals in plastics. Before Geneva — The Work to Get tHere Our journey started on Australia’s shorelines. Volunteers, schools, and communities have been collecting sediment samples for over eight years. That evidence built the Australian Microplastic Pollution Hotspot Map  — showing that tiny plastic fragments are everywhere, from remote beaches to urban harbours. That map has already influenced state and national policies and scientific research. Without citizen science and robust data, we wouldn’t have a voice in Geneva. At the Negotiations — AUSMAP Driving Change at the Global Plastics Treaty 2025 Inside the UN, three big questions dominated debate: Plastic production caps  — Will the world agree to reduce plastics at the source? Full life-cycle accountability  — From production and chemicals to disposal and waste. Monitoring and enforcement  — Ensuring commitments are more than words. Australia stood firm as part of the High Ambition Coalition  of 120+ nations, pushing for binding rules on plastic production and chemical additives. This group of high ambition nations support a full lifecycle approach to plastics, from production to waste, climate and health impacts.  But opposition came from oil and plastic giants — including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, China, and the United States — who resisted any cap on production, and insisted on focusing on downstream management, like recycling, which we know is not the solution. Meanwhile, industry lobbyists were everywhere. More than 230 lobbyists , mostly from oil, gas, and plastics, had direct access to negotiations — some embedded within national delegations. Their influence was clear: stall, weaken, delay. From AUSMAP’s side, Dr Scott worked with Pacific Island nations, NGOs, and scientists to ensure microplastics are recognised as a life-cycle issue , not just a waste problem. We’ve been making the case that science and monitoring must be central if the treaty is to succeed. Dr Scott outside the Plastic Treaty Negotiations in Geneva - AUSMAP driving change at the Global Plastics Treaty 2025. After the Treaty — What’s Next The reality is clear: a treaty without a production cap is a weak treaty . If necessary, high ambition nations must move ahead together, even without consensus from petrochemical states. We call on the Australian Federal Government to do so, and to do so fast. Australia’s Environment Minister Murray Watt confirmed he is disappointed no agreement was secured, but reinforcing " Australia was never going to accept a bad deal for our environment " . Australia stood strong as part of the High Ambition Coalition, pushing for binding rules to limit problematic plastics and harmful chemicals.  We still have a big job at home:  Australia continues to be the second-largest consumer of single-use plastics in the world, and we can’t recycle our way out of this crisis. We call for: Strong packaging regulations that cut single-use plastics, scales up a circular economy, not just focusing on recycling; Rules that make producers responsible for plastics across their full lifecycle; and Monitoring and enforcement systems powered by science and citizen data . The good news? More than 80% of Australians support strong packaging laws . Now it’s time to deliver. We still have a big job at home — Australia must now turn treaty promises into strong national action to reduce plastic pollution. How You Can Be Part of This Every shoreline survey, every data set, and every intervention at the Global Plastics Treaty is only possible because of people like you. You can: Donate today to ensure we can keep monitoring our shorelines for microplastic pollution and informing the state, national and international community of our results Share this message with your community Collect a microplastic sample along your local shoreline , if you have been AUSMAP trained. “Plastic pollution is everywhere, but once we make it visible, change becomes possible. The Global Plastics Treaty is a huge step forward — but only if we make sure the promises are kept. That means more science, more advocacy, and more people like you standing with us.” — Dr Scott Wilson, AUSMAP Research Director Dr Scott Wilson representing AUSMAP at the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations _________________ To learn more about AUSMAP’s work and how you can help, visit AUSMAP’s website  or follow us on social media. AUSMAP's work is entirely grant and donation funded - donate here and help us continue the longest running microplastic dataset. Our data helps put microplastics on the map, contributing to real-life science and policy change.

CONTACT US Please direct all mail and microplastic samples to: AUSMAP c/o Total Environment Centre PO Box K61 Haymarket NSW 1240 Australia info@ausmap.org +61 2 9211 0255 Are you are interested in getting involved in the AUSMAP program, click here . Not finding what you need? Send us a message or sign up to our newsletter below! JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER! Be the first to hear about training days, the latest results from our data, research in microplastics, and much more! Subscribe! THANK YOU!

Find the Australian Microplastic Assessment Project (AUSMAP) in the national and international press! AUSMAP iN THE MEDIA We lovE the opportunity to raise awareness about microplastics in the environment & THE aUSMAP program. View all the AUSMAP features in the press below! Would you like to feature AUSMAP? CONTACT US HERE! 2022 Date Media Article 04/08/2022 2Ser 107.3 Surf plastic pollution 14/06/2022 MRA Consulting Group Sydney is drowning in microplastic 14/04/2022 Australian Museum Meet the marine scientist developing ambassadors for behaviour change 31/03/2022 The Fifth Estate We ingest about a credit card’s worth of plastic every week 25/03/2022 News.com.au Explainer: Microplastics detected in human blood, should we be worried? 18/02/2022 Deeper Blue Australians Are Consuming Huge Amounts Of Plastic 13/02/2022 Sydney Morning Herald ‘Very high’ levels of microplastic waste at some of Sydney’s most popular beaches 05/02/2022 The Guardian Australians ingest a credit card’s worth of plastic a week – so what’s it doing to us? 26/01/2022 Cosmos Magazine Mapping microplastics on Australian beaches 24/01/2022 The Epoch Time Australia's Beaches With Most Plastic Revealed 23/01/2022 Verve Time Australian Microplastic Assessment Project Reveals Worst Beaches For Microplastics 21/01/2022 The Canberra Times Map shows worst beaches for microplastics 21/01/2022 Northern Beaches Review Map shows worst beaches for microplastics 21/01/2022 Grenfell Record Map shows worst beaches for microplastics 21/01/2022 7News Australian Microplastic Assessment Project reveals worst beaches for microplastics 20/01/2022 Texas News Australian Microplastics Assessment Project reveals the worst beaches for microplastics 20/01/2022 Mirage News You know you’re swimming in it: worst beaches for microplastics revealed 20/01/2022 Illawarra Mercury Map shows worst beaches for microplastics See AUSMAP past media coverage from 2018 - 2021 Follow AUSMAP on Instagram

FIND A HUB NEAR YOU Already trained? Ready to do some sampling but don't have a field kit? If you're an accredited AUSMAP Participant you can contact your nearest Regional Hub and borrow a kit for the day! Look for your nearest hub on the map below.