Sustainability
Seabin Project
As part of the project’s commitment to cleaning up the bay, five Seabins have been installed around the site of the new Sydney Fish Market in Blackwattle Bay. A cross between a trash can and pool-skimmer, Seabins skim the surface of the water to remove fuel, oil, plastics, microplastics and other harmful contaminants.
From 2021 to 2023 the five Seabin units at Blackwattle Bay have:
filtered more than 1.5 billion litres of water
collected over 5.3 tonnes of marine debris, including 532,000 plastic items.
These five units contribute to Seabin’s Smart City Program: Sydney, made up of over 32 units across Sydney Harbour, which from 2012 to 2023 have:
filtered over 15.5 billion litres of water
removed 100 tonnes of marine litter.
They now collectively remove an average of one plastic item every six seconds.
The Seabin catches are processed at Seabin’s Ocean Health Data and Microplastics Lab, where critical data sets are collated to help facilitate positive policy making and behavioural change.
Cleaning the seabed
Work was done to remove, dispose and recycle debris located on the seabed. Some of the items cleared include wharf structure items, a sunken pontoon, hire bikes, trolleys and fishing nets and other miscellaneous items such as rope, steel wire and steel plates.
Seawall Panels
Once construction of the building is complete, the project will implement habitat enhancement strategies to protect the local environment that include:
planting of natural vegetation
placement of rock rubble to create microhabitats
hanging structures suspended underneath the building to attract different fish
seawall panels along the building edge to increase habitat complexity.
The panels have been designed to mimic the rocky reefs and seaweed forests around Sydney Harbour and create essential habitats for a range of oysters, seaweed and fish species.
These panels are made of pre-cast concrete fused with recycled oyster shells and crushed sandstone. They create an ideal habitat for thriving ecosystems that support the growth of native biodiversity.
The project works closely with the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) to support the initiative that sees the transformation of Sydney Harbour.