Let’s stop litter in its tracks and save our waterways

19 August 2021

Have you ever thought about how litter ends up in the ocean? Central to our community, our environment and our identity is the Hawkesbury River, or Dyarubbin, as it is known by the Darug Nation. It is this river and all of our waterways, right up to the ocean that Hawkesbury City Council wants to protect and keep clean.

As an open water swimmer and Hawkesbury’s Young Australian of the Year 2021, local resident Sam Bonus is passionate about protecting our waterways. He has competed in ocean swims like the Rottnest Channel Swim in Perth, and he is acutely aware of the impact litter has on our aquatic and marine environment.

“Plastic is one of the worst kinds of litter because it enters our ocean today may remain there for up to 450 years, breaking down into microplastics and can even enter the food chain,” Sam said.

Following a recent meeting of Council’s Environment Committee discussing the development of a Zero Litter to River Policy, Council is now asking you for your ideas and suggestions on reducing litter in the Hawkesbury and how to prevent it getting into our waterways.

We all want pleasant natural spaces that are litter free that can be enjoyed by our community, the Mayor of Hawkesbury, Councillor Patrick Conolly explained.

“It costs Council to manage and clean up litter which could be better spent for example on new playgrounds, upgrades to sporting facilities or new cycleways,” Mayor Conolly said.

“We can all do our bit to stop litter in its tracks.

“You may have participated in a Clean Up Australia Day event, completed a school project about litter or know of litter hot spots.

“Like me, you may be passionate about our natural environment, our rivers and wildlife and you want to see Council and the community do as much as possible to reduce litter,” he said.

“If you have ideas on how Council and the community can better address the problems caused by litter please share them with Council.

“We are also inviting local high school students to contribute their ideas and suggestions on how Council and the community can reduce littering in the Hawkesbury and prevent it from entering our waterways.

“Council’s Environment Committee will consider this issue at a future meeting and we encourage you to share your ideas and experiences to help inform Council’s decision making,” Mayor Conolly said.

“We’re looking forward to seeing the community responses and working together with schools, youth and the broader community to reduce littering and protect our river.”

Council is also exploring what future partnerships with other agencies to help to prevent litter going into our rivers and oceans.

Have your say about litter in the Hawkesbury and what we can do about it at https://www.yourhawkesbury-yoursay.com.au/ccn or direct link https://www.yourhawkesbury-yoursay.com.au/ccn/survey_tools/feedback or email council@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au with reference to ‘Zero Litter to River’.