Gross Pollutant Traps

Gross Pollutant Traps (GPTs) are one part of a waterway management regime to support healthy waterways. GPTs offer a ‘last chance’ in stormwater management to reduce pollutants from entering our waterways and ecosystems.

GPTs are designed to remove solids from stormwater. They are part of a treatment train reducing litter, leaves and sediment from degrading our ecologically valuable, water dependent ecosystems within council waterways. The litter collected by GPTs is typically larger items such as take away containers, bottles and plastic bags.

The 15 GPTs in Willoughby have not provided the solution to stop litter entering our waterways. Apart from the fact that they only trap larger litter items, GPTs are only able to remove pollutants in low to medium rainfall events. During large rainfall events, stormwater will bypass the GPT, carrying pollutants into our natural waterways. The most important thing we can do to protect our waterways is to;

  • Reduce the amount of waste we generate,
  • Responsibly dispose of our own litter, and
  • Pick up any litter we see in the environment