Clean and litter-free streets are a priority in CBCity
Council spends considerable time picking up litter and is working proactively to prevent the act of littering. Our programs prioritise community engagement and education, and we work with our communities to ensure the City of Canterbury Bankstown is clean and litter-free.
We work with the community on a range of litter prevention and clean-up programs.
Since 2013, our officers have visited a number of local parks and reserves throughout summer, encouraging picnickers to make pledges to put their rubbish in the bin. We have also installed 78 new litter and 12 hot coal bins since then. Over that time, there has been a 90 per cent reduction in litter.
Litter Prevention Program - We Like our Park Litter Free - Case Study - 2013 to 2018
We received funding in 2017 from the NSW Environmental Protection Authority to reduce littering from vehicles. The funding went towards targeting local streets and car parks, where motorists would park their vehicles to eat takeaway food before littering and driving away. We increased fines for littering from vehicles by 300 per cent.
Tackling Takeaway Litter - Case study
Save money on bottled water and re-fill at any of the permanent bottle refill stations at parks across the City. Water refill stations provide you with free drinking water and also reduce the number of single-use plastic bottles that can end up as litter in parks and the Georges and Cooks Rivers.
To help us understand how street litter bins are used, how often they get full and whether local businesses are using them incorrectly, sensors have been placed in 60 bins across the City. The real-time information these sensors provide enables Council to better plan bin placement and servicing, which means it can reduce the amount of litter in town centres.
We have partnered with Sydney Water to reduce floating litter in the Cooks River, by installing two litter booms at key locations. They capture up to 18 cubic metres per week, which is equal to 75 wheelie bins.
The Georges Riverkeeper removes litter from land surrounding the river and its tributaries, preventing the rubbish from being washed into the river and ending up in the ocean. Last year, they prevented 16 tonnes of rubbish from entering the Georges River.
Three times more litter was being found in Greenacre town centre compared to other town centres in Canterbury-Bankstown. Our Litter Prevention Program worked with the Greenacre community to build pride in their town centre. The community drove the change, assisted by Council, with new litter bins installed and interactive engagement on the street. Greenacre has transformed into a more clean and vibrant town centre.
Litter Prevention Program We Like Greenacre Litter Free Case Study - 2015 to 2017
Litter reduction in Campsie town centre was funded through a NSW Environmental Protection Authority Litter Prevention Grant. A focus on building partnerships with local businesses and improving the bin infrastructure were key to achieving an 80 per cent reduction in litter.
We are a proud supporter of Canterbury City Community Centre's The Cleanest Street Lakemba Program. It recognises and rewards the efforts of residents, who help make Lakemba a cleaner and more sustainable place to live in, work in and enjoy.
The 'Glutton' is a sophisticated litter removal machine that vacuums up litter in hard to reach places. It’s revolutionising how we manage litter in the Campsie and Bankstown town centres. We’re able to remove litter in more areas in a shorter timeframe.
Litter impacts us all. You can do your bit to help keep our local town centres clean and green, by putting your rubbish in a bin.
'Return and Earn' is the NSW Government's container refund scheme under which residents and businesses can claim a 10 cent refund on most types of drink containers with the aim of reducing litter and increasing recycling.
The scheme provides opportunities for individuals, charities, groups and clubs to earn money by collecting and redeeming drink containers, including containers that have been littered.
You can choose to reclaim the 10c on the containers you buy or just keep putting them in your yellow recycling bin. You can also collect the 10c on containers you find on the street or in the park.
For more information on accepted containers and local collection points see the NSW EPA's Return and Earn site or their Fact Sheet. Collection points are being added to the list regularly as new sites are found.
Bin Diving
As knowledge of the scheme increases, some residents may find people go through their yellow bin to collect containers as a way to make money. When your bin is on the kerb, this activity is not illegal (but we encourage people to be respectful and make as little mess and noise as possible). If you’re concerned about privacy, remember to destroy documents so they can’t be read. You can also discourage people going through your bin by putting them out as late as possible the night before collection or putting a sign on it saying something like ‘All containers have been cashed already’.