Litter Prevention Grants Program: grants available

Up to $10 million in funding is available in 3 streams from 2022 to 2027.

The NSW Government has opened the Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041 (WASM) Litter Prevention Grants Program for councils, community groups and other key stakeholders to deliver litter prevention projects and develop strategic plans to address litter in their local environments.

Up to $10 million is available from 2022 to 2027.

Funding is provided under 3 streams:

Stream 1: Small-scale, on-ground projects, including a dedicated cigarette butt litter program
Stream 2: Strategic development and capacity building
Stream 3: Own It and Act strategic implementation

Expressions of interest for Intake 4 are open.
These guidelines will help guide your application for funding

Submit your Expression of interest in grant funding through SmartyGrants.

Intake 1 – now closed Intake 2 – now closed Intake 3 – now closed
18 October 2024	Expressions of interest for Intake 4 close
22 November 2024	Intake 4 applications due
17 February 2025	Intake 5 applications open (Stream 1 & 3 only)
30 October 2025	Intake 5 applications close (Stream 1 & 3 only)
30 June 2028	WASM Litter Prevention Grants projects close

Intake 5 now available for Stream 1 and 3 applications only

Applications for Stream 1 and 3 will now be accepted under a new Intake 5. Applications can be submitted at any stage between 17 February 2025 to 30 October 2025. Applications will be assessed as received and funding available until total funding limit has been exhausted. The primary purpose of this intake is to provide a final opportunity for stream 2 grantees awarded under previous intakes to progress to a stream 3 project. Funding will not be available for stream 2 under intake 5 as these projects will not have an opportunity to progress to stream 3.

Depending on the total funding granted under Intake 4, there is no guarantee that funding will be available under intake 5. The EPA will work closely with all grantees during this period to ensure they are aware of remaining funding available.

Monitor your grant projects using the EPA litter data framework

This workshop presentation explains how to use the Australian Litter Measure to set benchmarks and monitor your litter prevention initiatives.

WASM Litter Prevention Grant Program webinar

Intake 3 – Grant recipients and project summaries expand

Stream 1 – On-ground projects
Georges River Council $35,000 Healthy Hospitals This project aims to tackle the persistent issue of littering surrounding five hospitals within Georges River Council. By implementing an integrated litter management strategy, the project seeks to reduce littering incidents and foster cleaner environments for the wellbeing of patients, staff members and the community. The initiative involves collaborating with hospital stakeholders to identify litter sources and patterns, strategically installing litter bins and signage, and leveraging established campaigns like "Don't be a Tosser" to raise awareness about litter impacts and expectations. Council cleansing crews will conduct initial clean-ups and ongoing monitoring, with enforcement gradually implemented to deter littering behaviour.
Stream 1 – Cigarette Butt projects
Sydney Airport $40,000 Butt Be Gone Initiative This project aims to tackle the issue of cigarette butt littering at Sydney Airport, recognising the environmental and health risk posed by this behaviour. The project seeks to develop targeted strategies to discourage smoking, raise awareness of the risks, and install butt bins. The key target audiences include travellers and airport workers, with a focus on reducing butt littering in common areas and promoting healthier behaviours. The project seeks to create a cleaner, safer, and smoke-free environment at Sydney Airport.
Stream 1 – On-ground clean-up projects
Purple Card Project $10,000 Community Clean-Ups at Wallsend Skatepark and Ironbark Creek This project will deliver two community Clean Ups, one at Wallsend Skatepark and another along a section of Iron Creek. The project will involve the community in clean-up activities to create awareness, establish litter free areas and protect the waterways along the creek.
Fixx Events $5,000 Avoca Beachside Markets Clean Up Event Avoca Beachside Markets, a longstanding eco-conscious event, will run a community clean-up day. With a focus on minimal waste and environmental impact, the initiative aims to engage over 100 families and patrons in cleaning up the local shoreline and surroundings areas, while enjoying free breakfast and educational incentives.
Stream 2 – Strategic development and capacity building
Georges Riverkeeper $42,280 Georges Riverkeeper Roadmap For this project Georges Riverkeeper will develop a Roadmap in line with the existing Georges River Litter Prevention Strategy. The Roadmap will analyse the organisation’s current progress, set a vision and targets, create organisational goals, develop an M&E framework, establish future funding requirements, and refine the strategic directions and initiatives to align with the NSW Litter Prevention Strategy. The project will dedicate additional resources to work with member councils to build support and endorsement of the catchment wide strategy. The project will set up Georges Riverkeeper and partnering councils to be better placed to enact litter prevention in the long term and across the catchment.
Maitland City Council $100,000 Litter-Free Futures: A Comprehensive Strategy for Litter Prevention Maitland City Council's Strategic Litter Prevention Initiative encompasses a multifaceted approach aimed at effectively addressing litter within the organisation and aligning with the objectives outlined in the NSW Litter Prevention Strategy 2022-2030. The initiative integrates key strategic actions, including the development of a comprehensive strategy, the creation of a business case, completion of the Own It and Act Consensus Rubric, and the establishment of a Litter Roadmap. These initiatives are designed to build capacity, set targets, and drive meaningful action towards achieving litter prevention targets.
No More Butts $36,400 Building strategic capability on the prevention of tobacco product waste in NSW This project will support No More Butts to develop a Strategic Litter Prevention Plan and Roadmap. It will embed litter prevention across the organisation and align actions with the NSW Litter Prevention Strategy, specially supporting the 50 per cent reduction in cigarette butt littering behaviour.
City of Canada Bay $40,000 City of Canada Bay Litter Prevention Roadmap The City of Canada Bay will facilitate the creation of a detailed Own It and Act Roadmap outlining Council’s strategy for attaining long-term litter prevention goals. The Roadmap will consolidate various data sources into a single, coherent document. It aims to define a clear and collaborative approach, specifying the resources and investments necessary to turn these aspirations into reality. The Roadmap will be developed with a flexible approach that is receptive to feedback. This approach will allow staff to collaborate and evaluate current approaches to realign targets and actions with Council’s vision as a litter prevention leader.
Stream 3 – Own It and Act Strategic Implementation
Cumberland City Council $420,000 Implementation of Cumberland City Council Litter Prevention Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2028 As part of the EPA strategic development grant funding stream Cumberland City Council has developed its first Litter Prevention Strategy and Action Plan 2024-28 and Roadmap. This five-year program endorses the delivery and implementation of the Strategy and Roadmap to realise Council’s vision to keep Cumberland litter free and empower the local community. A set of litter prevention targets and initiatives have been set, encompassing three strategic directions: 1. Welcome – build community pride and establish expectations. 2. Belong – empower our stakeholders to take litter prevention action. 3. Succeed – foster a systemic and integrated approach to litter prevention.
OzFish Unlimited $420,000 Tackling Litter in the Recreational Fishing Community and Industry OzFish has established a target of reducing recreational fishing litter by 50% by 2029. This project will contribute to achieving this target by increasing engagement of the recreational fishing community and industry in litter prevention activities and behaviours. This ambitious target will be achieved through a set of strategic initiatives including establishing volunteer Litter Officers in the 22 chapters throughout NSW, providing boat bags and lure retrievers to recreational fishers and using OzFish network of recreational fishing personalities and influencers to normalise litter prevention in recreational fishing.
Shellharbour City Council $420,000 Let's Litter Less - Shellharbour Council This initiative will assist Shellharbour Council in delivering new long-term approaches to litter prevention through an array of strategic directions and initiatives. Council’s litter prevention five-year Roadmap identified key areas of improvement, including: 1. Integrating data capturing and centralised information on management processes. 2. Developing data-based education and engagement programs. 3. Strengthening collaboration between teams and documenting clear roles and responsibilities. 4. Assessing the need for additional infrastructure for improving litter management in hotspots.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service $425,000 NPWS Litter Prevention Program National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) has created a litter prevention vision and goals for the next five years outlined in the first NPWS Litter Prevention Strategy and Roadmap. This initiative supports the implementation of holistic programs which create a foundation for an ongoing coordinated approach to litter prevention within NSW National Parks, with the initial primary objective of reducing litter at trial sites by 50%. The NPWS Strategy and Roadmap provide strategic directions to realise the vision to move on from the current reactive approach, towards coordinated and proactive litter prevention. This new approach for NPWS will focus on improving data and reporting mechanisms to set realistic targets, better understand the extent of the issue and assess the performance of litter prevention initiatives as they are rolled out across the state.
Inner west Council $400,000 Inner West, Litter Less Inner West Council Litter Prevention Roadmap outlines a coordinated, cross-department approach to improving Council's litter management policies, practices and operations. This long-term initiative will support Council in its understanding of litter, implement monitoring and evaluation processes, and achieve ambitious litter reduction targets. Council will join forces with the community to collectively take responsibility for litter, working together to ensure local public spaces are welcoming, accessible, clean and safe. Inner West Council aims to deliver on four overarching strategic directions including: collaboration across departments, partnership with the community, reporting and tracking of litter, and incorporation of litter prevention into Council plans and processes.
Northern Beaches Council $404,000 Green and Clean Northern Beaches The Northern Beaches Council Litter Prevention Roadmap provides a strategic framework under which a range of stakeholders collaborate to achieve the “cleanest public places in Sydney”. The Roadmap includes a combination of targeted place-based initiatives, themed approaches to specific groups, and broader engagement with the wider community and visitors. The Roadmap builds on the foundation of past litter prevention initiatives and is fully integrated with Council's newly adopted "Waste and Circular Economy Strategy". Council’s new litter prevention strategies and initiatives will strongly promote behaviour change to embed a litter prevention mindset into the Northern Beaches region.
Byron Shire Council $420,000 Litter and Illegal Dumping Prevention Strategy 2024 – 2029 This program will assist Byron Shire Council to achieve the new litter prevention targets in the Council Litter Prevention Strategy and Roadmap. Over the next five years, Council aims to continue to adopt proven and effective integrated approaches and continue building organisational capacity to ensure that litter prevention is a high priority for Council, while the organisational agenda and investment reflects its importance. Council will continue to collect long-term litter data so that local litter problems and successes are clearly identifiable through evaluating trends. The Roadmap will implement long-term behaviour change initiatives focussing on the most problematic items and issues within the Byron Shire.
Bathurst Regional Council $403,950 Leaving Litter in the Past - Implementing Bathurst’s Litter Strategy Bathurst Regional Council has recently completed the Own it and Act Rubric as part of the EPA strategic development grant funding stream. This resulted in the establishment of Bathurst’s Litter Prevention Strategy and Litter Prevention Roadmap. Council’s ultimate vision is to maintain a clean, safe and litter-free region that supports its heritage, culture, diversity, and strong economy and protects local natural areas. Bathurst Council is also committed to lead litter management across the region while increasing capacity for strategic partnerships and implementing preventative action.

Stream 1 – On-ground projects

Georges River Council $35,000

Healthy Hospitals

This project aims to tackle the persistent issue of littering surrounding five hospitals within Georges River Council. By implementing an integrated litter management strategy, the project seeks to reduce littering incidents and foster cleaner environments for the wellbeing of patients, staff members and the community. The initiative involves collaborating with hospital stakeholders to identify litter sources and patterns, strategically installing litter bins and signage, and leveraging established campaigns like "Don't be a Tosser" to raise awareness about litter impacts and expectations. Council cleansing crews will conduct initial clean-ups and ongoing monitoring, with enforcement gradually implemented to deter littering behaviour.

Stream 1 – Cigarette Butt projects

Sydney Airport $40,000

Butt Be Gone Initiative

This project aims to tackle the issue of cigarette butt littering at Sydney Airport, recognising the environmental and health risk posed by this behaviour. The project seeks to develop targeted strategies to discourage smoking, raise awareness of the risks, and install butt bins. The key target audiences include travellers and airport workers, with a focus on reducing butt littering in common areas and promoting healthier behaviours. The project seeks to create a cleaner, safer, and smoke-free environment at Sydney Airport.

Stream 1 – On-ground clean-up projects

Purple Card Project $10,000

Community Clean-Ups at Wallsend Skatepark and Ironbark Creek

This project will deliver two community Clean Ups, one at Wallsend Skatepark and another along a section of Iron Creek. The project will involve the community in clean-up activities to create awareness, establish litter free areas and protect the waterways along the creek.

Fixx Events $5,000

Avoca Beachside Markets Clean Up Event

Avoca Beachside Markets, a longstanding eco-conscious event, will run a community clean-up day. With a focus on minimal waste and environmental impact, the initiative aims to engage over 100 families and patrons in cleaning up the local shoreline and surroundings areas, while enjoying free breakfast and educational incentives.

Stream 2 – Strategic development and capacity building

Georges Riverkeeper $42,280

Georges Riverkeeper Roadmap

For this project Georges Riverkeeper will develop a Roadmap in line with the existing Georges River Litter Prevention Strategy. The Roadmap will analyse the organisation’s current progress, set a vision and targets, create organisational goals, develop an M&E framework, establish future funding requirements, and refine the strategic directions and initiatives to align with the NSW Litter Prevention Strategy. The project will dedicate additional resources to work with member councils to build support and endorsement of the catchment wide strategy. The project will set up Georges Riverkeeper and partnering councils to be better placed to enact litter prevention in the long term and across the catchment.

Maitland City Council $100,000

Litter-Free Futures: A Comprehensive Strategy for Litter Prevention

Maitland City Council's Strategic Litter Prevention Initiative encompasses a multifaceted approach aimed at effectively addressing litter within the organisation and aligning with the objectives outlined in the NSW Litter Prevention Strategy 2022-2030. The initiative integrates key strategic actions, including the development of a comprehensive strategy, the creation of a business case, completion of the Own It and Act Consensus Rubric, and the establishment of a Litter Roadmap. These initiatives are designed to build capacity, set targets, and drive meaningful action towards achieving litter prevention targets.

No More Butts $36,400

Building strategic capability on the prevention of tobacco product waste in NSW

This project will support No More Butts to develop a Strategic Litter Prevention Plan and Roadmap. It will embed litter prevention across the organisation and align actions with the NSW Litter Prevention Strategy, specially supporting the 50 per cent reduction in cigarette butt littering behaviour.

City of Canada Bay $40,000

City of Canada Bay Litter Prevention Roadmap

The City of Canada Bay will facilitate the creation of a detailed Own It and Act Roadmap outlining Council’s strategy for attaining long-term litter prevention goals. The Roadmap will consolidate various data sources into a single, coherent document. It aims to define a clear and collaborative approach, specifying the resources and investments necessary to turn these aspirations into reality.

The Roadmap will be developed with a flexible approach that is receptive to feedback. This approach will allow staff to collaborate and evaluate current approaches to realign targets and actions with Council’s vision as a litter prevention leader.

Stream 3 – Own It and Act Strategic Implementation

Cumberland City Council $420,000

Implementation of Cumberland City Council Litter Prevention Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2028

As part of the EPA strategic development grant funding stream Cumberland City Council has developed its first Litter Prevention Strategy and Action Plan 2024-28 and Roadmap. This five-year program endorses the delivery and implementation of the Strategy and Roadmap to realise Council’s vision to keep Cumberland litter free and empower the local community. A set of litter prevention targets and initiatives have been set, encompassing three strategic directions: 1. Welcome – build community pride and establish expectations. 2. Belong – empower our stakeholders to take litter prevention action. 3. Succeed – foster a systemic and integrated approach to litter prevention.

OzFish Unlimited $420,000

Tackling Litter in the Recreational Fishing Community and Industry

OzFish has established a target of reducing recreational fishing litter by 50% by 2029. This project will contribute to achieving this target by increasing engagement of the recreational fishing community and industry in litter prevention activities and behaviours.

This ambitious target will be achieved through a set of strategic initiatives including establishing volunteer Litter Officers in the 22 chapters throughout NSW, providing boat bags and lure retrievers to recreational fishers and using OzFish network of recreational fishing personalities and influencers to normalise litter prevention in recreational fishing.

Shellharbour City Council $420,000

Let's Litter Less - Shellharbour Council

This initiative will assist Shellharbour Council in delivering new long-term approaches to litter prevention through an array of strategic directions and initiatives. Council’s litter prevention five-year Roadmap identified key areas of improvement, including: 1. Integrating data capturing and centralised information on management processes. 2. Developing data-based education and engagement programs. 3. Strengthening collaboration between teams and documenting clear roles and responsibilities. 4. Assessing the need for additional infrastructure for improving litter management in hotspots.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service $425,000

NPWS Litter Prevention Program

National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) has created a litter prevention vision and goals for the next five years outlined in the first NPWS Litter Prevention Strategy and Roadmap. This initiative supports the implementation of holistic programs which create a foundation for an ongoing coordinated approach to litter prevention within NSW National Parks, with the initial primary objective of reducing litter at trial sites by 50%.

The NPWS Strategy and Roadmap provide strategic directions to realise the vision to move on from the current reactive approach, towards coordinated and proactive litter prevention. This new approach for NPWS will focus on improving data and reporting mechanisms to set realistic targets, better understand the extent of the issue and assess the performance of litter prevention initiatives as they are rolled out across the state.

Inner west Council $400,000

Inner West, Litter Less

Inner West Council Litter Prevention Roadmap outlines a coordinated, cross-department approach to improving Council's litter management policies, practices and operations. This long-term initiative will support Council in its understanding of litter, implement monitoring and evaluation processes, and achieve ambitious litter reduction targets. Council will join forces with the community to collectively take responsibility for litter, working together to ensure local public spaces are welcoming, accessible, clean and safe. Inner West Council aims to deliver on four overarching strategic directions including: collaboration across departments, partnership with the community, reporting and tracking of litter, and incorporation of litter prevention into Council plans and processes.

Northern Beaches Council $404,000

Green and Clean Northern Beaches

The Northern Beaches Council Litter Prevention Roadmap provides a strategic framework under which a range of stakeholders collaborate to achieve the “cleanest public places in Sydney”. The Roadmap includes a combination of targeted place-based initiatives, themed approaches to specific groups, and broader engagement with the wider community and visitors. The Roadmap builds on the foundation of past litter prevention initiatives and is fully integrated with Council's newly adopted "Waste and Circular Economy Strategy". Council’s new litter prevention strategies and initiatives will strongly promote behaviour change to embed a litter prevention mindset into the Northern Beaches region.

Byron Shire Council $420,000

Litter and Illegal Dumping Prevention Strategy 2024 – 2029

This program will assist Byron Shire Council to achieve the new litter prevention targets in the Council Litter Prevention Strategy and Roadmap. Over the next five years, Council aims to continue to adopt proven and effective integrated approaches and continue building organisational capacity to ensure that litter prevention is a high priority for Council, while the organisational agenda and investment reflects its importance. Council will continue to collect long-term litter data so that local litter problems and successes are clearly identifiable through evaluating trends. The Roadmap will implement long-term behaviour change initiatives focussing on the most problematic items and issues within the Byron Shire.

Bathurst Regional Council $403,950

Leaving Litter in the Past - Implementing Bathurst’s Litter Strategy

Bathurst Regional Council has recently completed the Own it and Act Rubric as part of the EPA strategic development grant funding stream. This resulted in the establishment of Bathurst’s Litter Prevention Strategy and Litter Prevention Roadmap. Council’s ultimate vision is to maintain a clean, safe and litter-free region that supports its heritage, culture, diversity, and strong economy and protects local natural areas. Bathurst Council is also committed to lead litter management across the region while increasing capacity for strategic partnerships and implementing preventative action.

Intake 2 – Grant recipients and project summaries expand

Stream 1 – Cigarette Butt projects
TAFE $20,000 Ryde Butt Litter Prevention – (Central) This TAFE aims to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of students and staff by providing education on healthy living and environmental sustainability. The primary approach will be raising awareness of the harmful effects of smoking for both individuals and the environment. A key strategy in achieving this is to participate in cross -functional collaboration internally across TAFE NSW. The project also seeks to implement a range of strategies to reduce the quantity of butt litter to eliminate the impact on the environment, including upgrading existing infrastructure and installing new one where necessary to support these efforts.
TAFE $40,000 West Butt Litter Prevention – (Central West) This TAFE is committed to maintain the cleanliness and tidiness of their non-smoking areas, by addressing the issues of cigarette but litter. TAFE plans to achieve this by installing modern cigarette butt disposal bins to reduce the butt litter disposed of by people and scavengers. Additionally appropriate signage will also be placed in these areas to inform and guide individuals. TAFE NSW plans to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of students and staff through by providing education on healthy living and environmental sustainability. A key strategy in achieving this is to participate in cross -functional collaboration internally across TAFE NSW to support and implement these initiatives effectively.
TAFE $40,000 North Butt Litter Prevention – (North) With this project TAFE aims to improve the overall health and wellbeing of students and staff members. In order to achieve this TAFE will provide education on healthy living and environmental sustainability, with a primarily focus on raising awareness about the harmful effects of smoking on individuals and the environment. They will foster cross -functional collaborations within the TAFE organisation. The project involves implementing various strategies, including educating teams across the campus. The main objective is to reduce the amount of cigarette litter which negatively impacts the environment. TAFE will achieve this by upgrading existing infrastructure and installing new facilities as needed to support these efforts.
TAFE $40,000 South Butt Litter Prevention – (South) This project overall goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of both staff members and students. TAFE will provide education on healthy living and environmental sustainability, with a particular focus on raising awareness about the harmful effects of smoking on individuals and the environment. It is essential to note that these are designated non-smoking areas and are situated in bushfires prone zones. As a result, locations choices have been prioritised by these factors and hot spot areas. TAFE will foster cross -functional collaborations within the organisation as well as implementing various strategies to reduce the amount of cigarette butt litter. This includes the upgrading existing infrastructure and installing new facilities as needed to support these efforts.
Stream 2 – Strategic development and capacity building
Clean Up Australia Ltd $39,000 Sustainable Behaviour Change Project: Strengthening Litter Prevention Capabilities This project, facilitated by Behaviours Works focuses on delivering behaviour change and Litter Prevention training to empower Clean Up Australia's team to create a Litter Prevention Roadmap. It aims to address knowledge gaps within the team, providing a deeper understanding on Litter Prevention and its connection with behaviour change. The project reasoning is based on mitigating knowledge gaps identified during the first WASM project (Rubric consensus) and recognising the need for an integrated approach to litter prevention. The two key points of the project are: four focused training sessions covering system thinking, defining targeted behaviours, understanding drivers and barriers, aligning insights with intervention options for litter prevention trials. Additionally Clean Up Australia will also use a sentiment survey and volunteer engagement map (delivered on Stream 2, Intake 1) insights to better align messaging and initiatives with public sentiment and community expectations. The expected outcomes are to achieve better knowledge and understanding of litter prevention and litter behaviour, and the skills to create better anti-litter strategies. The project will result in a detailed Litter Prevention Roadmap, guaranteeing the organization's ongoing success in protecting the environment with a comprehensive approach.
Bayside Council $95,000 LitterSmart Bayside: A Evidence-Based Litter Prevention Strategy and Action Plan Bayside Council's proposed Strategic Litter Prevention Initiative is a comprehensive approach to establishing the organisational structures, policies, objectives, and processes to engage in litter prevention. This initiative comprises four key components: 1) Organisational Capacity Assessment: Evaluate current capacity and resources to develop an implementation plan for effective litter prevention; forming a Steering Committee and a Litter Prevention Strategy Working Group, engaging various stakeholders across Council departments. 2) Data Collection Framework: Improve data collection methods to inform decision-making and establish baseline litter surveys. Council will develop internal reporting mechanisms and establish community reporting through CRM platforms, integrate with GIS, map hotspot areas, and make litter data publicly available. 3) Litter Prevention Strategy and Action Plan: Develop a comprehensive strategy targeting 60% overall litter reduction and 30% plastic litter reduction, with the involvement of a contractor and ongoing evaluation. 4) Roadmap: Create a roadmap for implementing the strategy and achieving the set litter reduction targets, supporting funding applications. This initiative emphasizes a structured and data-driven approach to litter prevention for cleaner and more sustainable communities.
City of Canada Bay $60,000 Canada Bay Litter Plan This project aims to review and update the strategy plan, developed, and adopted by City of Canada Bay in 2016 “Putting Litter in its Place”. The new strategy will incorporate regional SSROC and Greater Sydney Harbour litter prevention strategies to ensure the council can meet broader commitments and regional objectives as well as targeted local programs in key hotspots; additionally, it will identify capacity gaps and potential partnerships for future litter prevention projects. This strategic review aims to provide a clear framework for ongoing litter reduction efforts in the community.
Hawkesbury City Council $100,000 Hawkesbury Litter Prevention Plan and Roadmap The Council is dedicated to protecting the environment and has a Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2032 to achieve this. The Council has actively participated in the Western Sydney regional litter program through Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils representation (WSROC) and support the implementation of a litter prevention plan. Hawkesbury's objectives are to develop a local Litter Prevention Plan and Roadmap with cross-council representation in the steering group and WSROC. Additionally, the development of a business case for bin infrastructure, placement, and signage. This will allow the Council to build organizational capacity and ownership to conduct and continue the delivery of local litter prevention initiatives beyond the grant funding period and routine clean-up efforts, as well as strengthen collaboration by forming a steering group. The steering group will help to guide Council's strategic plans to manage public land, executing litter prevention projects, and identifying local factors influencing littering in Hawkesbury. With help from consultants and internal consultation Council will gather data about litter and viable solutions (i.e., local litter checks), results will be communicated through various channels, including the Council's website and social media.
Stream 3 – Own It and Act Strategic Implementation
Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils $450,000 Western Sydney Regional Litter Program This program comprises three main objectives and five strategic actions. It seeks to emphasize the importance of litter prevention, motivate councils and stakeholders to enhance their efforts, and redirect collective resources towards initiative-taking litter prevention. The plan includes a Litter Prevention Leadership Program and the establishment of a Taskforce to build partnerships with regional councils, stakeholder, and community. Additionally, a Regional Litter Prevention Officer will be employed to support participating councils, and a Quantitative Data Program will provide accurate data for assessing the litter problem and its associated costs. This comprehensive approach aims to strengthen litter prevention initiatives and outcomes within the Region.

Intake 1 – Grant recipients and project summaries expand

Stream 1 – On-ground projects
Randwick City Council $60,000 Litter Free Gordons and Yarra Bay Local litter checks have identified extensive littering of beverage containers litter at Gordons and Yarra Bay. The project will involve deep cleans of the project locations and installation of fit for purpose infrastructure that can withstand the harsh sea breeze. Appropriate signage using the Tosser campaign will be developed and installed at the location as appropriate. Council will deploy litter officers to patrol the beach during the busy summer season to deter the community from littering and educate them about potential littering fines. Council will also engage the services of an interactive theatre group to engage with the community and provide positive litter messages during the summer season.
Liverpool City Council $35,000 Tackling takeaway litter in Liverpool Liverpool City Council are aiming to achieve reductions of litter in two hotspot areas. The highest littered items in these two hotspot areas are food and beverage rubbish from takeaways. By undertaking public education using signage both at the hotspot areas and close to the source hubs, an increase in enforcement where possible and improvements in waste infrastructure around these hotspots Council aims to significantly reduce the volume of larger littered items found and improve the amenity for the community.
Stream 1 – Cigarette Butt projects
TAFE $40,000 Cigarette Butt Litter Prevention – Sydney (St George, Loftus, Gymea) TAFE NSW aims to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of students and staff by providing education on healthy living and environmental sustainability. and increasing awareness of the effects of smoking on people and the environment. Key strategies in achieving this are cross-functional collaboration internally across TAFE NSW, and positive and proactive engagement with local health providers. The project seeks to implement a range of interventions to reduce the quantity of butt litter to eliminate their impact on the environment.
TAFE $40,000 Cigarette Butt Litter Prevention – Northern NSW (Casino, Kingscliff, Wollongbar) This TAFE NSW project aims to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of students and staff by providing education on healthy living and environmental sustainability primarily through enhancing awareness of the effects of smoking on people and the environment. Key strategies include cross-functional collaboration internally across TAFE NSW, and positive and proactive engagement with local health providers. The project seeks to implement a range of strategies to reduce the quantity of butt litter to eliminate the impact on the environment, including upgrading and installing new infrastructure.
TAFE $40,000 Cigarette Butt Litter Prevention – Broken Hill Cluster West (Broken Hill, Wilcannia, Menindee, Coomealla, Moree) TAFE NSW aims to keep its sites clean and tidy by reducing the butt litter on the ground. Many of these sites are non-smoking and TAFE aim to install appropriate signage and infrastructure to reduce the butt litter disposed of by people and scavengers. TAFE NSW also plans to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of students and staff through providing education on healthy living and environmental sustainability. This will be achieved by cross-functional collaboration internally across TAFE NSW in addition to positive and proactive engagement with local health providers.
TAFE $40,000 Cigarette Butt Litter Prevention – West (Dubbo and Orange) TAFE NSW aims to keep its sites clean and tidy by reducing the butt litter on the ground. Many of these sites are non-smoking and TAFE aim to install appropriate signage and infrastructure to reduce the butt litter disposed of by people and scavengers. TAFE NSW also plans to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of students and staff through providing education on healthy living and environmental sustainability. This will be achieved by cross-functional collaboration internally across TAFE NSW in addition to positive and proactive engagement with local health providers.
Coonamble Neighbourhood Centre Inc $40,000 Butt Out Coonamble To tackle the problem in Coonamble, the Coonamble Neighbourhood Centre will provide butt bins throughout the identified hotspot areas to decrease the cigarette butt litter rates. This will be complemented by signage to indicate the availability of the new bins to assist with educating smokers and the community in general. Local businesses will be included in general community discussions advising them of the availability of the new bins. The local newspaper, social media and other forms of advertising will be used to promote the project and acknowledge the NSW Government's contribution.
Purple Card Project Pty Ltd $40,000 Wallsend Village Butt Litter Prevention Project The Wallsend Village Butt Litter Prevention Project comprises six hotspot sites surrounding Wallsend Village Shopping Centre. Observations revealed that a primary cause of littering across all sites is insufficient infrastructure, no designated smoking areas across the whole site, and “No Smoking” signs found at entrances only. To enhance Pride and Ownership and communicate expected behaviour the grantee will coordinate a thorough clean-up of all sites targeting small litter. This will coincide with the installation of signage and butt bins, supported by an extra car park cleaning to reinforce expected behaviour. The bus shelter will implement Pathways strategies to highlight the existing butt bin. Community surveys will assist to identify locations for smoking zones, additional butt bins, and signage across all sites.
Randwick City Council $20,000 Butt Litter Reduction at Randwick The project plan will use the EPA's 13 step approach to butt litter reduction at La Perouse and Randwick. The butt litter check has identified significant butt littering at the two hot spots. Council will install appropriate butt bins along with Hey Tosser campaign signs. Interactive education will be undertaken for community awareness. Enforcement rangers will be mobilised for enforcement of butt littering. Butt litter checks will be conducted mid-way through and at the end of the project to achieve a target of 50% reduction in butt litter.
Stream 2 – Strategic development and capacity building
Byron Shire Council $95,000 Byron Shire Council Litter Prevention Plan and Roadmap This project will consist of undertaking a Cost of Litter Study, continuing to monitor litter data in the local environment, undertaking EPA Own It and Act (OIAA) processes and engaging various stakeholders in the development of a strategic litter plan. Through this, Byron Shire Council aims to increase the organisation's capacity in litter prevention, in line with the four OIAA enablers. The plan will ensure ongoing, long-term, organisation-wide, commitment to litter prevention. The Plan will also include ongoing efforts to prevent litter from entering waterways by stopping them at the source, as a part of the 'Source to Sea' project. Project findings will further identify key problem litter items and sources, to guide strategic efforts, working towards a 60% reduction in all littered items by 2029.
Sydney Coastal Council Group $40,000 Greater Sydney Harbour Regional Litter Prevention Strategy capacity building project The Sydney Coastal Councils Group’s project involves developing a Roadmap to work towards long-term litter prevention targets and delivery actions for the SCCG councils in Greater Sydney Harbour, as reflected in the Greater Sydney Harbour Regional Litter Prevention Strategy 2021-30 (RLPS). The project will work towards developing a Roadmap for the SCCG's Greater Sydney Harbour councils, underpinned by cost of litter studies for individual SCCG councils. Capacity building initiatives will continue to be developed, including the Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) Framework in partnership with the Parramatta River Catchment Group.
Bathurst Regional Council $96,000 Leaving Litter in the Past, A strategic approach to managing litter in Bathurst Bathurst Regional Council has commenced identifying its strengths and capacity building opportunities with respect to litter management across the four key OIAA enablers. A Steering Committee will oversee the development of a litter strategy and grow ownership of litter prevention within the organisation. Council has access to project data from litter hotspots and will grow this data though a litter study and investigate different types of litter across multiple locations to assist with future litter priorities. Council has a strong track record of external collaboration as well as sharing outcomes and learning. Bathurst’s actions can limit litter impacts on Murray Darling Basin to improve water quality across the Central West. Council is committed to both waste and catchment education and has delivered the successful River Connections Project across six schools. The innovative project brings young people and Wiradyuri Elders together to learn about the river from a range of perspectives. Council anticipates aligning the litter strategy with the objectives contained in the NSW Litter Prevention Strategy 2022 – 2030, the Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy and the NSW Plastics Plan. The final aspect to the project is the completion of the Stream 3 Roadmap in line with EPA guidelines to implement the key recommendations coming out of the strategy.
Canterbury-Bankstown Council $50,000 City of Canterbury Bankstown Litter Roadmap The Canterbury Bankstown community has identified litter prevention and clean up as actions to deliver a clean city. Council will build a cross team, multi-focus area, cross catchment, and regional approach to littering. A litter roadmap will incorporate baseline data collected to evaluate progress towards the WASM targets. These activities will be incorporated into Operational Plans for future budgeting and funding opportunities. The roadmap will engage neighbouring Councils, Regional ROCs, Catchment Groups and State agencies litter strategies/goals. It will pull together litter actions from across the organisation to deliver on a commitment to reduce litter that is deliverable and trackable with long-term goals. Synchronising outcomes with our neighbours and partners in a single document will make it clear to NSW that CB City is committed to WASM Strategy goals.
Seabin Foundation Ltd $40,000 Seabin Foundation Litter Prevention Framework and target base Litter Reduction Strategy This project will form Seabin Foundations’ long-term vision to empower litter prevention across community, private sector, and government. By influencing behaviour, policy change, and awareness according to localised facts measured regularly by Seabins, Seabin Foundation intend to reduce litter in Seabin catchment areas by 60%. The project will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the extent and causes of littering in our community and throughout the study site. It will engage with stakeholders, including local government, businesses, schools, and community organisations to develop a comprehensive prevention and evaluation framework. An action plan will outline the specific steps to be taken to implement the framework, including timelines, responsibilities, and resources to identify the outcomes to be measured. The Canterbury Bankstown community has identified litter prevention and clean up as actions to deliver a clean city. Council will build a cross team, multi-focus area, cross catchment, and regional approach to littering. A litter roadmap will incorporate baseline data collected to evaluate progress towards the WASM targets. These activities will be incorporated into Operational Plans for future budgeting and funding opportunities.
Inner West Council $100,000 Inner West, Litter Less – Developing a long-term litter prevention roadmap The focus of this project is to increase Inner West Council’s capacity to undertake litter prevention initiatives, projects, and community engagement, permanently embedding litter prevention into the organisation and working towards Council’s litter reduction targets. Council currently endorses two regional litter prevention strategic development plans and has identified through the Own it and Act Status Check that it is ready to develop its own strategic goals. The project will produce a roadmap outlining long-term plans to incorporate litter prevention into all areas that manage litter. This long-term commitment will decrease dependency on short-term projects and grant funding. The cross-departmental steering group will remove common barriers such as communication breakdown or competing priorities/ projects and help all departments to work towards a common goal. The Strategy will analyse preliminary data gathered from the study site and adapt for other relevant water catchment areas, interpret feedback given in steering committee, apply OIAA Framework assessment to the strategy, and action plan, to assess its alignment with the Own it and Act strategic implementation criteria and ensure the strategy can lead to the development of a 3-year roadmap to be implemented for Sydney Harbour and other areas in NSW.
Northern Beaches Council $96,000 Clean Environment in a Circular Economy This initiative will provide Northern Beaches Council with a clear strategic direction for litter prevention, with defined targets and mechanisms for success. A cross-organisational steering committee will build understanding, collaboration and ongoing commitment and permission to take effective action on litter prevention. Ultimately, a "Roadmap to a Clean Environment" will be produced, to provide Council the opportunity to enter a new phase of strategic implementation of litter prevention over the long term. The roadmap will detail the rationale, objectives, initiatives, targets, and resources for Council to deliver on the "Clean Environment" direction of its Waste and Circular Economy strategy and other strategies, charters and plans. A Project Officer placed within Council's Waste and Cleansing unit will work strategically and collaboratively across the organisation to build the capacity of Northern Beaches Council to prevent litter. This initiative will build on a 2022 Cost of Litter Study and the findings of the Preliminary Status Check completed by Council in March 2023.
Clean Up Australia Limited $61,000 Understanding the journey from clean up volunteers to prevention Clean Up Australia believes that litter prevention needs to be embedded at every level of the organisation and wants to embrace a more holistic approach towards litter prevention. To facilitate this change, CUA will develop a business case that maps out CUA’s vision for litter prevention, sets clear and tangible targets and impact tracking, and establishes how CUA can engage stakeholders to develop further actions beyond Clean Ups. The roadmap will provide a framework for Clean Up Australia's future campaigns to align with the NSW Litter Prevention Strategy. The project will be informed by surveys, focus groups, and interviews with Clean Up Australia's volunteers and supporters. It will also draw on best practices from other successful environmental organisations in driving behaviour change. The roadmap will provide Clean Up Australia with a strategic tool to mobilise its network of volunteers and supporters towards prevention, championing actions, and leading their local communities to more a sustainable future.
National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) $75,000 NPWS Litter Strategy NPWS has a major part to play in the State's success in litter prevention, with a particular interest on the impact of litter on the health of NSW’s plants, animals, and environment. This project will be the start of a comprehensive program to capture baseline data and conduct organisational surveys to help understand the litter problem. This will be used build leadership, set targets, and create a business case for further strategic work. A strategy roadmap will detail how NPWS will work towards long-term litter prevention targets and deliver actions beyond the life of the funding cycle. The project will transform the organisation's holistic understanding of the scope, size, economics, culture, and values needed for a state-wide organisational strategy. Many individuals, areas and NPWS executives have the appetite and the track record in the litter space, and the project will provide a unified vision, targets and actions, funding and organisational position to drive lasting and systemic change.
Cumberland City Council $80,000 Strategic approach to litter prevention in Cumberland Cumberland City Council aims to take an integrated and systematic approach to delivering litter prevention. Council will develop a Litter Prevention and Action plan to deliver key outcomes in line with the Own it and Act Framework. This strategy will develop a clear vision for litter prevention in Cumberland and streamline long-term litter prevention actions in Cumberland. The deliverables from the grant include a Litter Prevention Strategy and Action Plan, Roadmap, Own It and Act consensus rubric, baseline of current organisational litter prevention capacity, and community engagement and communication actions. A steering committee made up of specialist across multiple disciplines within Council will meet regularly to guide the direction of the project.
OzFish Unlimited $79,200 Tackling litter in the recreational fishing industry and community OzFish’s Strategic Litter Prevention Initiative will work with the recreational fishing industry and community to develop a strategy for how to prevent litter in the recreational fishing community. Bringing together manufacturers, retailers, and end users as well as relevant government agencies and community groups of recreational fishers will significantly reduce litter entering our waterways. The strategy will identify the ‘who, what, where, why’ of litter from recreational fishers, and plan a framework for action to tackle the litter problem based on the greatest impact outcomes. Targets will be set for litter reduction by the recreational fishing industry and community, contributing to state government targets. OzFish will also work to increase the capacity of staff to take ownership of litter prevention by including litter in induction processes and engaging staff to reach out to their networks for consultation around the strategy. OzFish will present these strategy planning initiatives in a strategy document and develop a roadmap for OzFish's long term targets and the ongoing sustainability of its litter prevention work.
Shellharbour City Council $100,000 Shellharbour City Council litter reduction roadmap Shellharbour City Council is committed to developing a Litter Reduction Roadmap to identify actions and goals to make Shellharbour City a clean and litter-free environment. Using a collaborative, cross-organisational approach Council will embed litter prevention practices throughout the organisation. The Litter Prevention Roadmap will enable Council to identify goals and actions to continue to embed litter prevention practices and build capacity within the organisation. Council has committed to establishing a Steering Committee and Working Group to ensure cross-divisional endorsement and input from the relevant stakeholders. The Roadmap will build organisational capacity for litter prevention, establish litter prevention targets that align with Council’s capacity and EPA targets, identify the key sources of litter and how they enter our waterways, review existing infrastructure and catchment technologies to identify potential improvements, quantify the amount of litter and time allocated to litter management and improve monitoring and evaluation and data collection to ensure Council meets agreed litter prevention targets.
Stream 3 – Own It and Act Strategic Implementation
Take 3 for the Sea $449,978 Take 3’s Visitor Economy Industry Litter Prevention Program The purpose of Take 3’s Visitor Economy Industry Litter Prevention Program (‘VEI Program’) is to bring together leading NSW Visitor Economy Industry businesses and stakeholders (‘VEI businesses/stakeholders’), utilising a sector approach to inform and enable them to Own it and Act on the problem of visitor litter. Key outcomes are to build ownership and capacity for the NSW Visitor Economy Industry (VEI) and their consumers/visitors to act on and sustain litter prevention now and into the future through leading, educating, monitoring, amplifying, advocating, and celebrating litter prevention across the industry. After the success of First Wave (Phase 1) and Ground Swell (Phase 2) of the VEI Program, the strategic intent of Phase 3 is to continue to inspire the ownership of visitor litter and to challenge the VEI to work together to achieve the NSW Litter Reduction Targets in line with the NSW Visitor Economy Litter Prevention Strategy 2030.
Cooks River Alliance $373,000 Against the Flow, shifting the litter paradigm in the Cooks River Catchment The strategic intent of Cooks River - "Against the Flow" initiative is to further shift the litter management paradigm within the Cooks River catchment away from an emphasis on management after litter is released into the environment, to one that relies on coordinated, long-term catchment scale approaches to litter prevention. The Cooks River Alliance will play a coordinating role to establish a self-sustaining community of practice, foster partnerships to tackle catchment-wide litter issues and engage and empower the broader community to understand, support and advocate for litter prevention throughout the catchment. The secretariat will also include a report card on catchment wide litter data and progress.

WASM Litter Prevention Grant Round timeline