Sydney Harbour Pollution
Intelligence.
Real-time data from the Seabin network across Sydney Harbour. Branded items are filtered from the water, catalogued and then we use the data to hold polluters, brands and stakeholders accountable.
Top 10 brands polluting Sydney Harbour.
July 2023 – March 2026
Top 5 branded litter products.
Plastic Food Wrappers - Soft
Food & Beverage
Food stickers
Food & Beverage
Plastic Bottles
Food & Beverage
Straws (Plastic and Paper)
Food & Beverage
Coffee & beverage cup lids
Lids & Caps
All of our impact.
Plastic alternatives litter is now on the rise.
Marketed as eco-friendly, bioplastics behave like conventional plastics in the environment — they don't break down in seawater and are increasingly found in harbour litter. Between 2019 and 2024, bioplastic items captured by Seabin units grew by over 600%.
Where the litter comes from.
Each branded parking ticket pulled from a Seabin carries an issuing council, suburb and address — letting us trace litter back to its source. Based on 242 traceable tickets recovered across Sydney Harbour.
144 of 242 traced tickets (60%) were issued by the City of Sydney — by far the largest single source.
Every council-issued parking ticket carries a serial code, making the issuing authority directly traceable from the litter itself.
Tickets travel through storm drains and street runoff for an average of 36 days before being intercepted by a Seabin.
Captures are concentrated around Sealife Sydney Aquarium and Sydney Fish Market — high-footfall CBD-adjacent locations.
City of Sydney — biggest polluter.
City of Sydney parking tickets are consistently one of the top branded litter items found in Seabins. Each ticket carries a traceable code linking it directly to the council.
Festivals & Vivid Sydney.
Major events create measurable spikes in harbour pollution. Seabin data tracks the environmental impact of festivals and large public gatherings around Sydney Harbour.