Australian Gross Pollutant Trap Performance and Marine Litter Estimates

A national survey of Australian municipal staff reported an average of 51%–60% of gross pollutant traps (GPTs) performing optimally. Analysis of audit data from 33 municipalities revealed that 80% of GPTs were underperforming, with only 5% classified as fully operational. The dataset, authored by Justine Barrett and last updated in May 2026, estimates that optimal GPT function could prevent 106,000 tonnes of litter per year from polluting Australia's marine environments.

Use Cases

• Modeling the impact of maintenance schedules on litter interception based on reported GPT functionality ranges.
• Benchmarking municipal performance against national audit data showing 80% underperformance.
• Estimating potential marine litter reduction based on the 106,000-tonne annual prevention figure for optimal GPT coverage.

Strengths

• Includes specific national survey statistics, such as an average of 51%–60% of GPTs performing optimally.
• Provides concrete audit findings from 33 municipalities, including the 5% fully operational rate.
• Offers a quantified environmental impact estimate of 106,000 tonnes of preventable litter per year.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is small (140.9 KB), indicating limited scope or aggregated summary data.

Provenance

Source

Justine Barrett via figshare.

Collection Method

Likely contains results from a national survey of municipal staff and analysis of audit data from 33 municipalities.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-20 12:15:10; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australia