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CVA’s SeaToSource Program: A Model for Ocean and River Restoration

Plastic pollution is a major problem worldwide and in Australia. Not only does it pollute ecosystems that we depend on for our survival, but it can also find its way into our water and food, causing impacts on human health.

Tackling plastic pollution in Australia requires a coordinated and collaborative effort on a country-wide scale. Australia has some of the highest rates of plastic consumption in the world: from 2020 to 2021, Australians consumed around 3.8 million tonnes of plastic and 2.6 million tonnes ended up as waste.

In Australia, the vast majority of mismanaged waste that moves from land to sea is plastic. While waste minimization, recycling, and awareness-raising efforts help reduce waste, it’s also important to tackle plastic pollution that ends up in our rivers and ocean.

At CVA, we launched the 3-year SeaToSource program in 2020 to create a model for ocean and river restoration. This was achieved by working collaboratively with a range of partners to empower communities across Australia to take action on litter.

The results of this trailblazing program have been astonishing. SeaToSource resulted in over 10,600 volunteers removing around 19 tonnes of litter. By partnering with fifty of Australia’s largest businesses, 690 SeaToSource events were organised, and over 1,237 hectares of waterways and coastlines were surveyed for litter.

Below is an explanation of why it’s important to protect and restore our rivers and ocean, how the SeaToSource Program is a model for achieving this, and more about how we can create a sustainable and resilient future.

Reasons Why Australian Rivers and Oceans Need Our Help

Every year, approximately 13 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean – mostly carried there by rivers. As our SeaToSource Program research shows, the majority of waste flowing from rivers to the ocean is comprised of plastic; and Australia is one of the largest consumers of plastic in the world.

Furthermore, it’s estimated that nearly 80% of global annual riverine plastic emissions comes from 1000 rivers around the world.

The impacts of plastic pollution are vast and numerous. Plastic pollution threatens the health of marine species and ecosystems, and by doing so, it also threatens food safety and food security, as well as the many industries related to the ocean like tourism, fisheries and aquaculture.

Finding solutions to tackle the plastic pollution crisis are therefore critical to helping us secure a sustainable and resilient future. CVA’s SeaToSource Program is one of these solutions.

About the SeaToSource Program: An Overview

The SeaToSource program’s aim was to reduce the amount of plastic litter entering our creeks, rivers and the ocean by mobilising and empowering communities to take action.

Thanks to large-scale collaborative efforts, CVA together with partners and volunteers cleaned pollution and conducted scientific surveys along nine important catchment areas that flow into the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Southern Reef.

Our aim was to target the areas where litter starts its journey: river catchments.

The 3-year SeaToSource program, which was launched in March 2020, was made possible thanks to grant funding from the Australian Government which enabled CVA to conduct activities at eight catchments (Brisbane River, Georges River, Parramatta River, Werribee River and Port Phillip Bay, River Torrens, River Derwent, Tamar River, and the Swan River and surrounding coastline).

In addition, funding from BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) enabled us to undertake activities at a ninth catchment (Mackay).

The SeaToSource Program’s various activities included:

• Community Catchment Clean-ups
• Litter Monitoring Surveys
• SeaToSource National Days of Action
• Partnerships with organisations including Beach Patrol and Love Our Street
• Annual Sea The Change Youth Art Competition
• SeaToSource Corporate Christmas Clean-up Challenges
• SeaToSource Source Reduction Workshops
• the Nature Ambassadors Program

Key Achievements of CVA’s SeaToSource Program

CVA’s SeaToSource Program created in some impressive achievements:

• Over 10,600 volunteers and 50 businesses participated in the SeaToSource Program
• Around 19 tonnes of litter was collected and removed from the 9 catchments, comprising over 380,000 debris items and weighing 19,000 kilograms
• 1,237 hectares of waterways and coastlines were surveyed for litter
• 690 events SeaToSource events were organised, building networks, raising awareness, and empowering collaboration

Importantly, the program’s citizen science data revealed that 60% to 95% of litter in our ocean and waterways consists of plastic. This scientific finding helps us to understand the nature of litter in rivers and waterways that flow into the ocean in Australia.

The Future of Ocean and River Restoration in Australia

Conservation Volunteers Australia is committed to collaboratively accelerating action on ocean and river restoration and empowering Australians to be part of the solution to the plastic pollution crisis.

Through our SeaToSource Program we’ve been able to deliver significant action on plastic waste. Our aim now is to continue working towards minimising plastic waste and preventing plastic pollution in waterways and the ocean.

We’ve recently launched the SeaToSource Plastic Waste Challenge, which helps Australians analyse their household waste and become more mindful of their plastic consumption by conducting a quick and easy at-home plastic waste audit.

To take part in the SeaToSource Plastic Waste Challenge download the CVA app.

You can also support CVA’s work by taking part in our conservation volunteering events across the country which aim to restore ecosystems and biodiversity, by starting your own Nature Block, or making a donation to help us scale action for nature. We hope you will join us!

You can read a copy of our SeaToSource report here: SeaToSource report_v4.