Marine Litter Project
Litter is a significant threat to marine environments worldwide, with an estimated 4-12 million tonnes of plastic entering the world’s oceans annually.
Each year, thousands of animals are killed due to entanglements or from ingesting plastic and marine debris.
From spending thousands of hours on the water conducting our applied marine mammal research, MMF directly witnesses the huge impact our litter has on our marine mammals and their environment.
Given our research focus, we are uniquely positioned to educate on the litter threat, provide action opportunities, and support sustainable initiatives.
The Marine Litter Project is MMF’s award-winning flagship education and community engagement program. Through unique interactive learning activities, participants are equipped with the knowledge and skills to better understand the litter threat, and make positive and informed decisions for a sustainable future.
The delivery of the Marine Litter Project can be delivered as a school-based incursion, full & half-day workshops, community presentations, corporate training events or via our new online course.
It can also be tailored to be region-specific, with our Bin Not Bay activities for the Port Phillip region, Litter Free Lakes for the Gippsland Lakes region, and Bin Not Beach for coastal regions.
Let’s hear from Matt, MMF’s Education Outreach Coordinator, about our Marine Litter Project
The Marine Litter project is diverse in its delivery, and can be undertaken as:
The Marine Litter Project aims to inspire appreciation of, and connect participants to, Victoria’s marine environments through the discovery of our incredible marine mammals, including the critically endangered Burrunan dolphin. By demonstrating the impact of local litter on marine environments, including its lifetime, dispersal and persistence, participants are empowered with a ‘RETHINK’ mentality to take positive sustainable action.
Marine Litter Project in the School
Our school-based Marine Litter Project education program can be delivered as single lessons, multiple-session workshops, as an online course, or as a school-wide sustainability initiative. The Marine Litter Project is accessible to students of all levels, including Kindergarten and VCE.
Through the Marine Litter Project, students are able to develop a greater awareness of the impact of litter, and the actions they can take to make a positive difference. To deliver the outcomes of the Marine Litter Project, MMF will work alongside students and teachers, supporting the implementation of sustainability initiatives within the classroom and school community. Marine Litter project school activities include classroom incursions, excursion opportunities, and online learning.
All Marine Litter Project activities align with Victorian and Australian Curriculum content learning areas, along with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
To engage the Marine Litter Project at your school, please contact the MMF Education Team.
Marine Litter Project in the Community
Since 2015, MMF has been engaging the community in Marine Litter project activities all across the state!
Whether it is a local Life Saving Victoria Club, Scouts Victoria Group, school holiday programs, or a community group, there are many opportunities to have your local community engage in Marine Litter Project activities! Marine litter Project corporate workshops are also available to discover how to make your business and home more sustainable.
At MMF, we believe education is key to making a positive difference, and through participation in our Marine Litter Project, we are able to educate and support communities in undertaking sustainability initiatives such as a household waste audit, reducing local plastic litter, and ensuring what we do today creates a better tomorrow.
To learn more about how you can have Marine Litter Project in your community, please contact the MMF Outreach Team!
Marine Litter Project Online
The Marine Litter project is also available to be undertaken through various online platforms.
Our self-guided Marine Litter Project online course is a first-of-a-kind marine science education course designed for robust self-guided learning for schools, community groups, corporate organisations, and individuals. Through the course, participants are introduced to marine environments and the marine mammals who live within them, including the Burrunan dolphin, and explore the impact of litter and marine debris on marine environments, why plastics are so prevalent in the modern world, and how what happens in our local environments can have wide-reaching impacts. The course supports participants to identify strategies that are being used both locally and across the world to address the litter issue, and support the agency of students to implement these initiatives within local school communities.
The Marine Litter Project can also be undertaken through virtual online activities. Guided by MMF through live interactive webinars, schools, community groups and other organisations can participate in engaging learning experiences through a series of workshops. Discover how we can each make a positive difference to marine environments in our daily lives through household, classroom, and workplace litter and waste audits, and simple strategies for sustainability.
To learn more about how you can participate in online and virtual Marine Litter Project activities, please contact the MMF Outreach Team!
In 2020, the Marine Litter Project was the winner of the Keep Victoria Beautiful Sustainable Cities ‘Community-Led Litter Project’ award!
This award not only recognises the incredible hard work and dedication of the Marine Mammal Foundation Team, but also the community groups, clubs, schools and organisations that have participated in Marine Litter Project activities across Victoria.
To view the awards ceremony, please visit the Sustainable Cities YouTube page.
To have your school or community group involved in our Marine Litter Project, please contact Matt at outreach@marinemammal.org.au or use the enquiry button below to book. To offer your support to other MMF works, head to our donate page to make a tax-deductible donation.