$25,600 awarded to 2 Local Groups for anti-littering project
The Manly community will be cleaner thanks to a $1.8 million NSW Government grants program.
Manly MP James Griffin announced today that Friends of Freshwater and Operation Straw will receive $14,600 & $11,000 respectively as part of a $1.8 million litter prevention program managed by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) that aims to tackle local litter hotspots.
“Grassroots organisations such as Friends of Freshwater and Operation Straw know better than anyone where local litter hotspots are and how best to tackle the problem. That’s why we award grants to support litter efforts at a local level,” Mr Griffin said.
“These grants are just 2 of 35 that will share in more than $1.8 million to support litter initiatives across our communities,” Mr Griffin said.
“The Friends of Freshwater project will target litter in three hotspot locations including a carpark, reserve picnic area and ocean lookout bench. The project will seek to reduce 60% of littered items through community clean ups, an education campaign targeted at local businesses and community members, and community monitoring and reporting on new litter. It will also target local takeaway food outlets to reduce key littered items at the source and use the Total Environment Centre's Ocean Action Pod for interactive community education on the impacts of litter on the environment.
The Operation Straw project aims to reduce takeaway packaging littering through education and awareness strategies targeted at local hospitality businesses. School engagement programs will also aim to reduce littering by young people.”
Projects completed through previous grants have been extraordinarily successful - reducing average litter by 70 per cent at targeted hotspots. This year’s grants will build on recent successes with projects such as solar smart bins, butt litter bins, ‘swap and go takeaway’ container schemes, and a range of awareness campaigns.
The Litter Prevention Grants Program supports litter targets in the next phase of the NSW
Government’s Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041, which includes targets to reduce
plastic litter by 30 per cent by 2025, and 60 per cent of all litter items by 2030.
More information about the NSW Litter Prevention Program, Litter Prevention Grants and other litter initiatives including Return and Earn and the Don’t be a Tosser! Campaign is available on the EPA website: https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/your-environment/litter-and-illegal-dumping/epa-workprevent-litter.