Friday 27 June 2025
Join AMSA this month to stop marine plastic litter for good.
Plastic Free July is a global movement to protect our oceans and waterways. It encourages people and organisations to reduce plastic use and prevent waste.
At AMSA, we take action year-round to address marine plastic pollution. We do this through strong regulation, international collaboration, and support for responsible vessel operations.
As part of the maritime sector, you play an important role in tackling plastic litter too.
What you can do
To promote positive garbage management practices, make sure you:
- Have a garbage management plan. Ships and certain domestic commercial vessel owners and operators must have a garbage management plan.
- Keep a garbage record book. Some vessels also need a garbage record book detailing how garbage is managed, collected, stored, processed, and disposed of.
- Use the right signage. vessels 12 metres and over must display MARPOL placards. Order your free placards now.
- Report illegal garbage discharge. You can report illegal discharge of rubbish easily. Call us, go online or contact your local port authority.
What AMSA is doing
Clean seas are a key part of AMSA’s vision. We work year-round to reduce marine plastic pollution by:
- Laying down the law. Ships and domestic commercial vessels must follow strict garbage management requirements. It is illegal to discharge plastic waste (including fishing gear) into the water, no matter how far you are from land. We enforce these global laws in Australia through national legislation such as the Protection of the Sea Act and Marine Order 95 (Marine pollution prevention – garbage). Find out more about discharge rules for all vessels.
- Collaborating globally. We work with industry, government, and international organisations like the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to:
- reduce plastic waste from ships and fishing vessels
- improve port reception facilities for plastic disposal and recycling
- support the IMO’s 2025 update to the Action Plan to Address Marine Plastic Litter from Ships
- Support enhanced - reporting of all lost or discharged fishing gear and global to identify sources of plastic waste.
- Driving long-term change. We are assisting the Australian Government to negotiate a global treaty on plastic pollution through the United Nations Environment Assembly, aiming to reduce plastic waste across its entire lifecycle.
- Promoting education and training. Helping the sector build capacity to prevent marine pollution.
Get involved
Join us this Plastic Free July by reducing your plastic footprint at sea and helping protect the marine environment for future generations.