Under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and Australian legislation, plastic waste—including fishing gear—cannot be discharged into the ocean. Vessel operators can face significant fines for illegally dumping plastic waste at sea.
Help keep our seas clean by reporting any illegal dumping. If you see someone dumping plastic waste or other garbage, there is some information you can collect to help AMSA investigate the incident. Useful information includes:
vessel name
time, date and location of the incident (distance from land, GPS coordinates)
details of how much and what type of waste was dumped, and
other witnesses or vessels in the vicinity.
Report illegal dumping of plastic waste or other substances to AMSA on 1800 641 792 (free call) or 02 6230 6811, or by visiting Marine pollution (amsa.gov.au)