Almost 50 tonnes of litter is being pulled out of the Yarra River every year, including more than a quarter of a million cigarette butts, a report has revealed.

Litter volumes in Melbourne’s major river are on the rise, including dangerously high volumes of tiny microplastics in its lower reaches, Victoria’s Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability has warned.

Between 2014 and 2017, clean-up teams pulled 179 tonnes of litter from the Yarra River, including 1.3 million cigarette butts. Credit:Paul Jeffers

The river’s poor health is also putting pressure on native species that depend on it, including platypuses, frogs and the critically endangered Leadbeater’s possum and helmeted honeyeater.

The commissioner released the first State of the Yarra report late on Tuesday, revealing that the river is in poor condition in 18 of 36 environmental indicators of its health.