Australia's Litter Action Plan launched

The National Packaging Covenant Industry Association (NPCIA) has partnered with Keep Australia Beautiful to launch Australia’s Litter Action Plan. The $50 million, 10-year program aims to reduce the overall litter rate volume across the country by 20% by 2025.

The 2013 National Litter Index shows that 56 litter items and 6.13 L of litter volume per 1000 m² were dumped by Australians in survey sites across the nation. If that rate was applied to every 1000 m² across the country, Australians would have dumped enough litter to fill 18,860 Olympic-size swimming pools from 2012-2013.

The NPCIA launched the Litter Action Plan at the Keep New South Wales Beautiful Litter Congress. Industry will invest $5 million per year over the life of the program in initiatives designed to address the three core pillars of littering behaviour change: Education, Infrastructure and Enforcement.

Roadside litter is one of the most unnecessary and preventable environmental problems worldwide, with motorists blamed for discarding 46 litter items per 1000 m² along highways. The Litter Action Plan will incorporate a national hotline, an online reporting website and a mobile app to encourage responsible Australians to ‘dob in’ litterers.

“It’s time to get tough on individuals who think it’s okay to toss rubbish from their cars and expect other people to cover the cost of cleaning it up,” said Stan Moore, CEO of the NPCIA. “We’re calling on all Australians to do the right thing and dob in a litterer. This will go a long way towards tackling a problem which is costly, difficult and dangerous to clean up.”

Australia’s parks and beaches also make up some of the worst-littered places in the country. The plan will see funding set aside for individuals, groups and organisations to help clean up and regenerate litter hotspots. A platform will be created to connect Australians and establish a live social volunteer network where people can plot litter hotspots across the country online.

“If residents are concerned about the litter problem in their local area, they should visit www.dotherightthing.com.au/register-hot-spot and register it as a litter hotspot,” said Moore.

Another important function is to educate the public about the effects of litter and create awareness so that people change their behaviour. The plan will incorporate initiatives such as The LITTLE Committee (The Leading Integrated Taskforce Tackling Litter Everywhere), comprising children under the age of 15, who will become the faces of tackling littering in Australia through advertising campaigns, workshops and meeting with key stakeholders.

Moore said the Litter Action Plan is focused on finding long-term solutions, stating, “By providing the right infrastructure for residents to deposit their litter, and by making it unacceptable in society to litter by taking action against those who do, we can have a lasting impact.”

To download the full version of Australia’s Litter Action Plan, click here.