Researchers at RMIT University, Melbourne have developed a new method for spotting plastic rubbish on our beaches and successfully field tested it on a remote stretch of coastline.

The satellite imagery tool developed by RMIT University scientists picks up differences in how sand, water and plastics reflect light, allowing plastics to be spotted on shorelines from more than 600km above.

Satellite technology is already used to track the massive amounts of plastic floating around our oceans – from relatively small drifts containing thousands of plastic bottles, bags and fishing nets, up to gigantic floating trash islands like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is three times the size of France. However, the satellite technology used to spot plastic floating in water doesn’t work so well in spotting plastic lying on beaches, where it can easily blend in with the sand.