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SeaToSource: Tackling Plastic Pollution Where It Actually Begins

One of the most effective ways to tackle plastic pollution is to stop it at the source: pollution of rivers and waterways. Every year, approximately 13 million tonnes of plastic find their way into our oceans, mostly carried there by rivers.

In Australia, we consume around 4 million tonnes of plastic products and packaging annually, and recycling rates are low and only around 14% of plastic waste is recovered nationally. Approximately 130,000 tonnes of Australian plastic pollutes marine environments annually, resulting in devastating impacts on marine life, tourism, and human health.

The challenge and the need for action are therefore particularly urgent.

The solution? Stop plastic pollution at its source, before it ever reaches our waterways and oceans.

A Trailblazing Model for Ocean and River Restoration

In 2020, Conservation Volunteers Australia launched the SeaToSource program with an ambitious vision: to create a national model for ocean and river restoration by empowering communities to take action on litter where it begins, in river catchments.

The results have been extraordinary.

Over three years, SeaToSource mobilised more than 10,600 volunteers and partnered with 50 of Australia’s largest businesses to organise 690 events across nine critical catchment areas feeding into the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Southern Reef. Together, we removed approximately 19 tonnes of litter (comprising over 380,000 individual debris items) and we surveyed 1,237 hectares of waterways and coastlines.

The program targeted eight key catchments with grant funding from the Australian Government (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), plus the Mackay catchment with support from BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA).

Perhaps most importantly, the citizen science data revealed a sobering truth: 60% to 95% of litter in our ocean and waterways consists of plastic. This scientific finding provides critical evidence for understanding the nature of pollution flowing from Australian rivers into the ocean.

Why This Matters Now

Plastic pollution is a threat to marine biodiversity, food safety, human health, and the industries that depend on healthy oceans, from tourism to fisheries and aquaculture.

Research shows that nearly 80% of global annual riverine plastic emissions comes from just 1,000 rivers worldwide. By targeting river catchments, SeaToSource tackles the problem at the most strategic intervention point.

Australia faces a particular challenge. Despite being surrounded by ocean and having some of the world’s most pristine marine environments, we have one of the highest rates of single-use plastic consumption per capita globally: approximately 60 kilograms per person annually.

The vast majority of mismanaged waste that moves from land to sea in Australia is plastic.

Join SeaToSource Volunteer Activities

Individual action is powerful, but collective action creates transformation!

CVA organises regular SeaToSource volunteering events across Australia, including:

• Community Catchment Clean-ups along rivers and waterways
• Litter Monitoring Surveys that contribute to citizen science data
• National Days of Action bringing communities together for coordinated impact
• Wetland Restoration activities that protect crucial ecosystems
• Beach Clean-up events preventing plastic from reaching the ocean

These hands-on activities remove plastic pollution and, on top of that, they build community networks, raise awareness, and create lasting change in how Australians understand and interact with our waterways.

Corporate volunteers are especially welcome, with opportunities to engage teams in meaningful environmental action while building workplace culture and meeting sustainability goals.

👉 Find SeaToSource volunteering activities near you

Creating a Sustainable and Resilient Future

The SeaToSource program demonstrates what’s possible when we combine community action, corporate partnership, scientific data collection, and strategic intervention at the source of pollution.

Data showing how pollution currently impacts marine life and projections of likely future impacts (like an estimated 99% of seabirds worldwide having injected plastic by 2050), the urgency for action couldn’t be greater.

But there’s hope in action.

Be Part of the Solution

Whether you’re joining a local clean-up event, or exploring corporate partnership opportunities, there’s a place for you in the SeaToSource movement.

Together, we can tackle plastic pollution where it actually begins, in our homes, our communities, and the catchments that connect our land to the sea.

👉 Find volunteer events at volunteerportal.cva.org.au

The ocean is counting on us. Let’s be the generation that turns the tide on plastic pollution.