Will The Sydney Harbour New Year’s Eve Fireworks Be Cancelled? A Look At The impact On Our Waterways

It’s the final minutes of Sydney’s great annual moment on the world stage. As the first major city to welcome the new year, over 425 million people tune in to watch the Sydney Harbour New Year’s Eve Fireworks. The 11 minutes of pyrotechnic brilliance illuminate the city when the grand finale begins: the waterfall. You watch as hot, bright golden fire in the form of 1,100 explosions pours off the Harbour Bridge and straight into the ocean. A heavy, metallic smell fills the nostrils of more than a million spectators on the harbour shore and your dog hides in the bathroom, tail between its legs. In that moment, it’s hard not to wonder – what’s the environmental cost? 

The Facts 

The Sydney fireworks have been running since 1976, and today, the Foti family organises 9 tonnes of fireworks to light up the night sky at a cost of around $6 million. While the event generates $280 million for the NSW economy, it also harms the environment in several ways: 

• Wildlife Disruption: Studies from Europe show fireworks cause thousands of birds to flee, disrupting migration and reproduction cycles. To mitigate this, places like Banff, Canada, have adopted quieter, lower-altitude alternatives. 

• Chemical Pollution: Fireworks contain potassium nitrate, sulphur, and heavy metals like barium and copper, which pollute waterways and soil. The anion perchlorate—a known endocrine disruptor—bioaccumulates, contributing to Sydney Harbour’s fish consumption advisory of just 150g per month. 

• Microplastic Contamination: Many of the world’s famous fireworks are set over waterways. For example, London (UK), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Marina Bay (Singapore). A study on London’s River Thames found a 1000% surge in microplastics post-fireworks. Sydney’s displays, slightly larger than London’s, likely yield similar results, with harmful PVC particles entering the water and food chain. 

What Sydney Can Do

Many cities are turning away from pyrotechnics in favour of quieter, reusable alternatives. Numerous towns in Colorado in the US have stopped staging firework displays in favour of drones shows for Fourth of July celebrations, for example. Similarly, many cities in Asia are banning fireworks, citing environmental and safety concerns. Many cities in China continue bans on fireworks for Spring Festival; as will the Delhi government in the lead up to Diwali.  

While pollution levels in Asian cities and the delicate rural American ecosystems may not be comparable to Sydney, these announcements indicate a global shift away from the overboard, single-use techniques we use to draw in tourism at New Year’s.    

In 2019, over a quarter of a million Australians signed a petition to have the City of Sydney end NYE fireworks, with many arguing that the emissions from pyrotechnic shows were no longer acceptable in a warming world. The City of Sydney, which was the first local government in Australia to become carbon neutral back in 2007, rejected the need to cancel the show. Their commissioned review found it would take 6,500 drones to produce a show close to the same scale as the fireworks and argued the carbon emissions saved from explosions would not be any less than the emissions of manufacturing and transporting so many drones. They did not comment on chemical and plastic pollution.  

“We therefore believe fireworks still provide Sydney with the best bang for our buck for the New Year’s Eve celebrations.” 

The Future of Celebrations 

 For now, Sydney’s fireworks continue, but their environmental impact is undeniable. Raising awareness and exploring smarter solutions is key. 

We want to hear from you:   

• How do you use Sydney’s waterways? 

• How have you been impacted by fireworks, plastics, or industry? 

Email us via our contact form or follow our journey toward cleaner oceans – @seabinfoundation. Together, we can protect the future of our waterways. 

Want more sustainable ideas? Check out our other blog posts.

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