Pacific Ocean Litter Project

The Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP) is a $16 million Australian Government funded project (2019–2027). POLP is working to reduce marine plastic litter in the coastal environments of Pacific island countries.

The project focuses on actions to refuse, reduce and replace single-use plastics, including:

  • plastic bottles and bags
  • take-away food containers
  • cutlery
  • straws.

What’s the problem we’re working on?

Marine litter impacts the environment, health and economic development of Pacific island countries.

Plastic pollution threatens communities dependent on oceans for food, trade and tourism. Plastics harm fish and other marine life, coral reefs, beaches and mangrove forests.

At the 2017 and 2018 Pacific Island Forum leaders’ meetings, Pacific leaders endorsed the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s (SPREP) Pacific Regional Action Plan for Marine Litter (the ‘Marine Litter Action Plan’).

Many Pacific countries have shown a strong commitment to addressing marine plastic pollution through initiatives such as:

  • plastic bag bans and levies
  • plastic straw bans
  • polystyrene take away container bans
  • container deposit levies.

Australia's role

POLP is working to decrease marine plastic litter within the coastal environments of Pacific island countries by reducing the availability of single-use plastics.

POLP is supporting Pacific island countries to:

  • develop and adopt legislation, policies and practical strategies to reduce single-use plastics
  • increase consumer awareness and encourage use of alternatives to single-use plastics
  • target measures to reduce single-use plastics by sectors and businesses
  • identify and support sustainable alternative products.

We are partnering with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment (SPREP) to deliver these measures with:

  • Cook Islands
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Fiji
  • Kiribati
  • Nauru
  • Niue
  • Palau
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Republic of the Marshall Islands
  • Samoa
  • Solomon Islands
  • Tonga
  • Tuvalu
  • Vanuatu.

POLP is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Australian Aid Program, and administered by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

For more information on the POLP contact POLP@dcceew.gov.au