At SEA LIFE, we’re passionate about tackling both current and future marine pollution. Seabin™ aligns perfectly with our commitment to safeguarding our oceans by not only cleaning up existing waste but also working to prevent future pollution. Our mission includes educating the public, advocating for policy changes, and supporting innovative solutions.
SEA LIFE's Commitment to Cleaning Sydney Harbour
In our second year of a three-year sponsorship with Seabin™, we are proud to share the following achievements as of August 2024:
- Water Filtered: 391 million litres, equivalent to 156.22 swimming pools.
- Marine Litter Captured: 1.87 tonnes
- Estimated Plastic Items Captured: 958,618
- Estimated Microplastics Captured: 591,313
Seabins data shows that:
61.68% of the captured marine litter consists of microplastics, exceeding the 2023 city-wide average of 53%.
Of the microplastics collected in the SEA LIFE Seabin:
- 73% were nurdles.
- 4% were micro hard plastics.
- 3% were micro soft plastics.
- 6% were micro foam.
- 14% were microfibers.
These figures highlight the significant impact of our efforts and underscore the ongoing need for action to address plastic pollution in our waterways.
In 2024, the Seabin at Sydney SEA LIFE has recorded over 600 cigarette butts, the highest count among all Seabins situated in Sydney Harbour. This location also leads in collecting plastic bags, straws, and wrappers, underscoring the ongoing need for vigilance and action against plastic pollution.
What is a Seabin & how does it work?
A Seabin is a cross between a garbage bin and a pool skimmer. A Seabin works by skimming the surface and sucking in water to remove plastics, microplastics, fuel oil and other harmful contaminants.
A Seabin can filter up to 1.3 million litres of water per day to capture marine litter. A catch net is housed within the Seabin unit and can hold up to 20kg of matter. The average catch over a typical 24-hour cycle is approximately 4kg.
Seabins operate 24/7 – 365 days per year. SST (Seabin™ Smart Technology) use a submersible pump that pulls water through the unit at a rate of 55,000L/hour (1,300,000L/day) which creates surface tension to the top 20mm of the water column around the unit's lid, drawing water toward the unit from up to 6 metres away. Any marine litter as well as surface pollutants including microplastics, plastic fibres, oils and fuels caught in this vortex is filtered by a catch net and oil absorbent pad within the unit.
How is Seabin™ Impacting Sydney Harbour?
From January 2023 to December 2023, 33 Seabin units worked tirelessly to filter 9.25 billion litres of water and remove over 22.5 tonnes of marine litter in Sydney Harbour. The Seabins captured approximately 4,772,648 plastic items, including 2,601,353 microplastics (nurdles, micro soft and hard plastics, microfibers, and foam).
How Can the SEA LIFE Community Get Involved with Seabin™?
Through Nature Certificates:
We all have a role to play in combating plastic pollution. By purchasing a Nature Certificate, you can directly support Seabins mission to clean Sydney Harbour. For just $142.00 per annum, you can help filter 482,460 litres of water and remove 258 plastic items, including 139 microplastics, from the harbour. Discover more about our subscription options here: https://seabin.io/home).
Keep up to date with the Seabin journey by following @seabin_project on Instagram!
Impact Data Reports
Floating rubbish bins to clean up Sydney’s waters
SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium has installed a permanent Seabin underneath the floating oceanarium to collect garbage floating in the harbour. The SEA LIFE Trust, in partnership with Sydney by Kayak, aims to install another three Seabins in Sydney over the coming year.
Seabins are floating rubbish bins that collect garbage from the sea 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There are currently 23 units dispersed around Sydney’s waterways including one at the aquarium.
Due to the success of the first Seabin at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour, which picked up 266kg of marine litter from the harbour in September 2020, the aquarium’s charity arm SEA LIFE Trust has confirmed it will donate additional funds to the Seabin Project for more units to be installed in the coming year.
“It’s the generosity of our guests that enables us to continue supporting the Seabin Project and the clean-up of marine litter from our oceans. With a commitment to continue to invest in additional Seabins yearly, we hope to see the number of debris captured increase by at least 1.8 tonnes every year,” said Ashley Hayes, SEA LIFE Trust Responsibility Manager.
“Seabins are a great example of an Australian innovation having tangible benefit to the environment. Through the Seabin installed at the aquarium we have been able to see the massive amount of debris that is entering our precious waterways daily. While each bin can remove hundreds of kilos of waste every year there is still so much more that needs to be done to change public attitudes to waste and recycling and the Seabins are helping us tell that story,” said Rob Townsend, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium Displays Curator.
“We love the Seabin at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium because it’s one of the hardest working Seabins and it’s having a massive impact on reducing the rubbish in the water. We’re excited to continue our relationship with SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and see where we can place future Seabins,” said Tom Batrouney, The Seabin Project Environmental Technician and Community Advocate.
The latest Seabin report found that the unit at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium caught 266kg of marine litter in September – an average of 16kg per day which is four times the global average. Plastics and other rubbish made up 80 percent of collections including foam pieces (37 percent), unidentified hard and soft plastics (30 percent), plastic lids (seven percent) and chocolate/food wrappers (six percent).
In total, Seabin units around Sydney filter 4.3 billion litres of water and capture more than 28 tonnes of marine litter over a year. This can include microplastics, oil, plastic fibres and more recently, medical waste.
For more information about the Seabin Project, visit www.seabin.io
Related blogs
New seabin installed in Darling Harbour
Ahead of World Clean-up Day on 21st September, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium has installed a permanent Seabin in the harbour underneath the famous floating Oceanarium.
Read moreSea Life Sydney Aquarium X Seabin™ | Quarterly Impact Data: April - June 2024
Discover how Sea Life Sydney Aquarium and Seabin™ are protecting Sydney's marine ecosystems by filtering out microplastics and pollution. Check out our latest conservation achievements!
Read moreAdopt an Endangered White's Seahorse
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