Next Steps For Litter Management

 Litter management is an important part of turning off the tap to marine plastic pollution. In 2020, the New South Wales government launched the improved “Don’t Be A Tosser!” campaign. The campaign was implemented as a part of the Litter Prevention Strategy to drive positive behaviour change. The campaign’s core message is to remind people to make the right choice by placing their rubbish in the bin. Since the original campaign launched in 2013, NSW has seen a 40% reduction in litter. 

Despite the campaign’s success, 6,471 soft plastic food wrappers were counted in the Seabin Foundation Ocean Health Lab in 2023! Because not every daily catch gets analysed in our lab, this number is roughly only 10% of what is caught in the Sydney Seabins, imagine how much more is floating out there!

So how can we Improve Litter Management?

Even if you put your rubbish in a bin, there are still some things to consider to ensure it stays that way! 

During peak hours, it is not uncommon to see bins overflowing! While it is great that people are trying to put their waste in the bin, stacking coffee cups in and around the bin defeats the purpose. 

Similarly, soft plastics and empty coffee cups can easily blow away in the wind. On a windy day litter can be carried several kilometres from where it originated and end up in stormwater drains that ultimately lead to the ocean. 

Another thing to think about is that animals rummage through rubbish. Bin chickens got their namesake for a reason. When animals pick through waste it is easy for litter items to get shifted about and end up outside the bin. 

Solutions

The easiest way to ensure your rubbish stays in the bin, is to make sure the bin is empty enough and enclosed if it is windy. If there are no suitable bins around, simply hold on to your rubbish and throw it away when you find a bin that you know your rubbish won’t escape from.

Or, choose reusable alternatives so you don’t have to put something in the bin at all! Carry a keep cup for your coffee, use reusable cutlery sets, or bring your own takeaway container. Simple changes like this can help make a huge impact on litter in the environment. 

For a more “futuristic” approach, we could leverage technology to help with waste management. Tools such as solar-powered trash compactors or sensors that detect the fill level of a bin could help to mitigate public bins from reaching capacity. 

Do you have a potential solution but need help to implement it? Reach out to your local council or government with ideas! Feedback and creativity are important to developing changes and inspiring new ways to tackle environmental problems. 

While the “Don’t be a Tosser!” campaign has had success, there is still work to be done to ensure a brighter and cleaner future for our oceans. Seabin Foundation is working with the local community to help take steps to protect our oceans. By using data trends collected by Seabin devices, Seabin Foundation is working on litter prevention campaigns backed by evidence to inspire the next steps for change. 

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

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How to get involved

There are many ways we can all contribute to the global effort for cleaner oceans! Contact us here to find out how you can get involved on our mission for cleaner oceans.

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