Despite having a much lower population density, the level of plastic pollution in New Zealand lakes is on par with those in Europe and the United States.
That's according to a global analysis of the number of microplastics detected in freshwater lakes across six continents, and one of our lakes is of particular concern.
Lake Rotorua might look clean but scientists said it's actually our most plastic polluted.
The findings come from the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network where 79 researchers contributed samples of 38 lakes across 23 different countries, including New Zealand.
Freshwater scientist Dr Deniz Ozkunakci took samples from three lakes: Lake Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty, Lake Taharoa in Northland, and Lake Wiritoa in the Whanganui District.
He discovered that Lake Rotorua had the highest levels of microplastics. Tiny particles, no more than 10 millimetres in diameter.
"It was somewhat expected because it has a large city around the lake... but finding values that high was somewhat surprising to us," Dr Ozkunakci
You don't have to look far to find plastic on the lake's shore.
The Rotorua Lakes Council told Newshub the study serves as a good reminder that everyone has a role to play in keeping our lakes clean and that we need to take responsibility for how we dispose of our waste.
The researchers said while they expected New Zealand lakes to have some plastic pollution, the results were disappointing for a country that has a relatively low population density.
Dr Ozkunakci said tiny plastic particles can end up in our food.
"It's no exception in lakes where a lot of people go fishing or collect freshwater muscles for consumption," he said.
Dr Ozkunakci said banning single-use plastics is a promising start to help protect our waterways because while Lake Rotorua may look pristine it's far from it.
