Blue light torches illuminate hidden microplastic pollution

In a twist on traditional clean-ups, the Illawarra is hosting plastic clean-ups in the dark with the help of a special blue light technology to expose microplastics hidden in plain sight.

A group of around 15 locals gathered at Stuart Park, Wollongong, for an after-dark clean -up, using blue light torches to illuminate tiny pieces of microplastics hidden in grass and shrubs.

Wollongong City Council’s Waste Educator, Penny Hoswell, who led the clean-up event in mid-August, explained the blue light torches illuminate phosphorus contained in the plastic’s chemical compounds, making the fragments glow a fluorescent blue.

After demonstrating how to use the torches, Ms Hoswell led the group of local residents on a scavenger hunt for microplastics.

While Stuart Park appears relatively rubbish-free during the day, the blue light highlighted a confronting amount of microplastics hidden among the garden beds and children’s play areas.

“People are absolutely shocked,” Ms Hoswell said. “They can’t believe that much plastic came from such a small area.”

Ms Hoswell showed the volunteers a bird’s nest built from twigs, grasses, and feathers, which under blue light exposed a tangle of microplastic fragments hidden among the sticks.

“It’s really quite amazing what’s actually in there – fluff, string, even bits of pillow,” she said.

This education event, put on by Wollongong Council’s environment department, is to educate local residents about microplastics hidden in our local parks.

“One small thing to reduce plastic waste is to say, ‘Please don’t put a lid on my coffee cup.’ It squashes your froth anyway, and those lids often end up on the ground,” Ms Hoswell said.