The Broadscale Microplastic Assessment (BMA) is Australia's first large-scale study of microplastic contamination, covering 120 coastal waterways in NSW.

The study was commissioned by the NSW Environment Protection Authority under the Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy. The technical report, summary report card and full dataset were prepared by the Science and Insights division within the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

This research responds to the NSW Marine Debris Threat and Risk Assessment which identified microplastics as a major threat to marine ecosystems.

Purpose

The purpose of the assessment was to identify the coastal waterways most contaminated by microplastics and provide a clear picture of the scale and type of microplastics in our waterways. This study provides the first baseline for NSW coastal waterways, enabling targeted management and policy action, as well as raising awareness within community of the scale and spread of microplastic contamination.

Key findings

• Microplastics were detected in all 120 waterways, with concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 34.80 particles per cubic metre.
• Highest contamination was found in urban waterways in the Hawkesbury–Sydney region, including Cooks River, Dee Why Lagoon, and Upper Parramatta River.
• Lowest contamination was found in minimally disturbed catchments on the state’s north and south coast – Myall Lake, Nadgee Lake, Middle Lagoon, Myall Broadwater and Wallaga Lake.
• Smaller particles (<1 mm) dominate, and items like packaging foam and pellets point to traceable sources and therefore are considered priority items.

The results provide NSW with its most comprehensive understanding of where microplastics are present along the state’s coastline, and which materials contribute most to the problem.

Why it matters

Microplastics pose a growing threat to estuarine health, especially in urban catchments.

The full report and summary report are now available. Explore contamination grades, hotspot maps, and recommendations for future monitoring and intervention.

What we are doing

NSW is already taking action to reduce plastic pollution and stop microplastics at the source, including:

• reducing plastic litter by 45% since 2018–19, exceeding the NSW Government’s target to reduce plastic litter by 30% by 2025
• Plastics Plan 2.0, phasing out highly littered and avoidable plastic items such as bags with handles, tags to seal bags, fruit and vegetable stickers and tackling products that fragment into microplastics
• Operation Clean Sweep NSW and Operation Pellet Patrol, working directly with industry to prevent spills of plastic feedstock like nurdles during transport, handling and manufacturing
• targeted compliance and enforcement, such as for plastic microbeads in personal care products, focusing on preventable pollution incidents that allow plastics to escape into waterways
• Litter Prevention Program and grants, supporting councils to reduce litter before it enters stormwater systems and waterways
• Nature Hates a Tosser campaign and the Report to EPA initiative, encouraging the community to reduce litter and report littering from vehicles
• Plastics Research Program, building universities and government research institutions capability to measure, monitor and better understand microplastics
• Streets to Sea program to reduce litter flowing into our waterways from land, including a new pilot to map and assess litter flow analysis in the Cooks River and Manly Lagoon
• The EPA is a member of the Solving Plastic Waste Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), supporting practical research to better understand and prevent microplastics, including in agricultural soils.