By NISHANT KULKARNI

Volunteers who cleared piles of rubbish from the Mordialloc Creek have urged Victoria to back a container deposit scheme. 

Clean up event coordinator Trent Williams, from Sea Shepherd, said Victoria should have a container deposit scheme, which most Australian states have opted for.

“If the oceans die, we die. We need to get involved in reducing plastics and saving the ocean life,” he said.

“[It] will dramatically reduce trash left behind in parks, beaches and creeks,” he said. 

Event organiser Narelle Huxley said a container deposit scheme would help reduce damage to the water ecosystem.

“They say that we don’t have a problem with cans and bottles in our environment but we certainly do,” Ms Huxley said.

According to the UN, an estimated eight million tonnes of plastic enters the world's oceans each year, posing a major threat to sea life and ecosystems.

The locals who worked on cleaning up Mordialloc Creek recently said they wanted to send a message to the State Government about the trash piling up on Melbourne's shores.

Volunteer Talya Bessin, a Melbourne University student, said she was shocked by the amount of trash collected.

“I was quite surprised by amount of trash we could gather in just 60 minutes,” Ms Bessin said.

“I did notice that there weren't bins around the park, so I believe there should be more recycling bins around,” she said.

They collected 70kg of trash, including 100 plastic bottles, 60 aluminum cans and 40 glass bottles.

The clean up was organised by Sea Shepherd, an NGO dedicated to preserving bodies of water and maritime wildlife. It came after around two tonnes of waste was hauled out of Maribyrnong River by the Yarra Riverkeeper Association.

The United Nations reported that plastics make up around 80 per cent of all marine debris, killing more than one million seabirds and more than 100,000 marine mammals every year.

Sea Shepherd coordinates monthly clean-up events all over Australia and is hosting the next one at Frankston Pier on April 28.