Moonee Ponds litter-tracked

Moonee Ponds litter-tracked

GPS-tracked bottles were thrown into the Moonee Ponds Creek next to Macaulay Rd in February in an effort to gain information about the movement of rubbish along the creek.

Each bottle was fitted with a waterproof and shockproof GPS device and will be tracked remotely as they float along the waterway for up to a month before removal. Journey highlights will be shared via the Litter Trackers Facebook page.

RMIT University and City West Water deployed the five “litter trackers” on February 9 with Cr Rohan Leppert and Kaye Oddie of Friends of Moonee Creek as part of the Chain of Ponds Collaboration.

The collaboration is an agreement between 15 organisations to progressively transform the Moonee Ponds Creek into an iconic waterway and includes local and state government representatives, community groups, not-for-profits, water authorities and research organisations.

Rachel Lopes, City West Water Chain of Ponds Collaboration lead, said the rubbish on our streets made its way into the waterways and ultimately the beach.

“Ninety-five per cent of the litter on our beaches comes from urban streets through the stormwater system,” she said.

“From cigarette butts to plastic bottles, most of what we drop on our streets is washed into the stormwater system by rainfall, travels via our waterways to our bays and washes onto our beaches.”

“Tracking the movement of litter will help the collaboration identify litter hot-spots and inform how we best prevent litter entering the system in the first place.”

“With millions of dollars spent each year removing litter from Melbourne’s waterways, this project is an important reminder for everyone to bin their litter.”

Organisations involved in the Chain of Ponds Collaboration signed a memorandum of understanding in 2018. They include:

  • City West Water
  • Melbourne Water
  • City of Moonee Valley
  • Hume City Council
  • Moreland City Council
  • City of Melbourne
  • Yarra Valley Water
  • Victorian Planning Authority
  • Conservation Volunteers Australia
  • Parks Victoria
  • Friends of Moonee Ponds Creek
  • Kensington Association
  • Moonee Valley Bicycle User Group
  • Living Colour Studio

There are also 17 supporting organisations who have showed an interest in the work of the collaboration, including four universities •

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