Cigarette butts on streets and pollution in the Parramatta River are among the targets of a $4.6 million investment from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), aimed at helping councils, land managers and community groups build lasting solutions to litter – not just clean it up.
More than $4.5 million of the funding will support 11 organisations to roll-out long-term, strategic litter prevention initiatives, while a further $95,000 will fund two on-the-ground projects tackling litter hotspots in the Coonamble Shire and Griffith local government areas.
NSW EPA Director of Programs Jacquelyn Miles said this round of the EPA’s Litter Prevention Grants Program was focused on helping recipients move beyond one-off clean-up projects and towards sustained change.
“Preventing litter requires more than clean-up activities – it takes long-term planning, strong partnerships, organisational commitment and a clear understanding of what drives littering behaviour,” Ms Miles said.
“These grants will help organisations, including six local councils, to implement sustainable, strategic litter prevention initiatives that create lasting environmental benefits for communities and the state.
“Many of the successful recipients have already shown a strong commitment to litter prevention and are now taking the next step by embedding it into the way they plan, operate and engage with their communities.”
Among the recipients is No More Butts, a community group dedicated to reducing tobacco product waste, which has been awarded $450,000 to implement a state-wide, evidence-based strategy to halve cigarette litter at targeted sites.
The grant will support No More Butts to strengthen its partnerships, working closely with councils and other organisations across NSW to roll out tailored anti-littering initiatives and track whether they’re working.
Ten other recipients, including the Parramatta River Catchment Group and Georges River Keeper, have also received grants of up to $435,000 to put in place long-term litter prevention plans.
The $4.6 million investment is part of $10 million allocated under the NSW Government’s Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy (WaSM) 2041 for litter prevention.
The EPA’s Litter Prevention Grants Program plays a key role in supporting the state’s goal of reducing overall litter by 60 per cent by 2030, having already achieved a 70 per cent reduction in litter at previous grant project sites.
