A recent audit of public bins as part of Council’s Hawkesbury Litter Prevention Plan 2025-2030 has seen the removal of 38 older-style ‘cradle-top’ bins from across the local government area in line with evidence-based approaches to reducing litter and its impacts in the Hawkesbury.
These bins were no longer fit for purpose and often contributed to litter as they were susceptible to animal scavenging and to having litter blown free by the wind. Some were being illegally used for household and commercial waste disposal. In most cases the bins were located in areas with ample more suitable disposal options, and in some cases, were impeding pedestrian accessibility or reducing footpath width. In these locations, the cost of litter‑picking and managing contamination was higher than the benefit of keeping the bins in place.
Follow-up inspections in these areas have found little to no increase in litter. Council continues to monitor all bin locations and assess the need for any future adjustments based on evidence of littering, waste capacity issues, or other impacts.
There is no intent to remove any further bins unless a replacement bin is planned for that location. Any future bins will only be installed if monitoring shows a clear need. Bins remain available in main activity areas, town centres and other high‑use locations.
As part of Council’s Hawkesbury Litter Prevention Plan 2025-2030, which has received $500,000 in funding support from the NSW EPA, Council has committed to:
– Increasing investment in litter prevention
– Embedding litter prevention in Council planning and reporting
– Increasing registrations on the EPA Report to EPA app by 200
– Reducing litter in priority locations by 20%
– Reducing cigarette butt litter in priority locations by 20%
– Reducing the proportion of residents who self-report littering
These objectives and actions were detailed during the public exhibition of the Hawkesbury Litter Prevention Plan 2025-2030 in March and April 2025, and subsequently adopted by Council in May 2025.
Council will continue to use operational data, site inspections, and community feedback to ensure public place waste infrastructure remains effective and aligned with the objectives of the Hawkesbury Litter Prevention Plan 2025-2030.
