Published 8 September 2023The Marine litter campaign supports both the NSW Litter Prevention Strategy, and the Marine Estate Management Strategy, extending the ‘Don’t be a Tosser!’ litter campaign message to include the marine estate.
Overview
Why is this project important?
The people of NSW are passionate about the state’s waterways, beaches and oceans. Yet litter still finds its way into these special places. Litter damages the marine environment, causing problems that may not be easy to see.
It aims to raise awareness of the impact of littering on the marine estate, in particular demonstrating that litter on land will likely find its way to our waterways and can impact the marine environment.
The campaign’s centrepiece is a music video featuring different littering behaviours to demonstrate how litter on land can flow into, and impact, the marine environment. The video explains the importance of being responsible for your rubbish and putting it in the bin.
A new campaign website, has also been developed to support the overarching campaign, providing information on how litter travels from land to sea, its impact, and what the community can do to help prevent marine litter.
What have we achieved?
NSW has already reduced litter by 43 per cent since 2013-14, with the marine litter campaign playing a critical role in this reduction.
Since the marine campaign has been introduced the NSW community awareness of how litter can travel from land to sea has increased with community understanding now at 93%.
The campaign continues to support a broader litter prevention program, including incorporating additional stormwater and catchment management actions into the litter prevention program.
Lead agency
NSW Environment Protection Authority
Partners
Department of Environment - Environment and Heritage Group
Department of Environment - Planning
Universities and scientists
Environmental non-government organisations
Environmental ambassadors and social influencers
Our Initiatives
Initiative
Water quality and litter
Status
Current
Keywords
Contacts
Name
Rupert Saville - Unit Head Litter Prevention Unit, NSW EPA