Clean Up Australia Litter Report FY24 released today
The findings of the Clean Up Australia Litter Report FY24 were released today which has seen plastics continue to be the number one litter type found in our national parks, bushlands and waterways, representing 80.7% of all counted litter. E-waste made its way into the top ten, with vapes and batteries making up the majority of reported e-waste found in the environment.
Clean Up Australia is urging volunteers to join in the 35th anniversary of Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday 2nd March to continue to work together to remove litter from our environment and help promote the need to stop and reconsider how we dispose of our everyday waste.
From the previous year’s findings there were some notable changes to the top ten grouped items. Soft plastics represent 31.8% of all reported litter and continue to lead litter counts. Notably, the top three counted litter categories remained the same with soft plastics followed by non-food packaging (which includes cigarette butts) and beverage containers including aluminium cans and plastic bottles.
Concerningly, household items moved up a spot from sixth to fifth place with an increase of 1.9% from FY23, indicating a need for further consumer education around reuse, repair and consumption habits.
E-waste including items such as vapes, batteries, laptops, smart phones and microwaves moved its way back into the top ten becoming the seventh most collected category. E-waste continues to prove hazardous to the environment with its release of toxins into soil and groundwater.
Clean Up Australia Chair, Pip Kiernan said: “In 2025 we mark our 35th anniversary of Clean Up Australia Day. This year’s Litter Report highlights the changes in the types of litter we are observing from when my dad went out with a group of volunteers at the first national event held in 1990. While large, bulky items used to be common, nowadays most concerning is the huge presence of soft plastics in our environment, with currently limited options for recycling and a proliferation of soft plastics used on everyday items. The presence of E-waste in our environment is also a growing concern as it presents a big threat to our wildlife and eco-systems.”
As far as individual items go, soft plastics packets, wrappers and cigarette butts have consistently ranked as the top two most collected items over the past five years from 2020. In the FY24 report soft plastics packets and wrappers are again in first place and cigarette butts in second, indicating a persistent and increasing problem regarding their proper disposal in Australia.
Plastic bags have also seen a marked increase of 6.1%. Alongside soft plastics, these items indicate the need for a nationally implemented soft plastics Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) collection and reprocessing scheme.
Plastic beverage bottles decreased by 1.6% and moved from third to fifth place which is likely a result of uptake in Container Deposit Schemes (CDSs).
Takeaway food containers, including utensils, are a consistently present litter item in the environment, representing 5% of all litter reported.
Plastic straws moved out of the top 10 items, which likely reflects increased awareness surrounding single-use plastics and the phase-out of plastic straws across most parts of the country (excluding the Northern Territory and Tasmania).
“While light weight bags have been phased out across Australia in all states and territories with the exception of the Northern Territory and Tasmania, heavy density bags are still widely available, with Western Australia, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Queensland the first states to phase them out.
Container Deposit Schemes (CDS) also play an important role in reducing litter in the environment. In New South Wales, prior to the commencement of the CDS in 2017, beverage container litter levels reflected 28.7% of all reported litter. In FY24, this reduced to 15.1%. With all states and territories expected to have an operational CDS in place from mid-2025, we know this will reduce beverage container litter nationally. Putting a value on waste absolutely works and we’ve seen this so clearly through the successful container deposit schemes,” Pip continued.
The FY24 Litter Report is a snapshot of litter collected across Australia from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. The data is thanks to over one million Australians who registered for Clean Up events across 16,320 sites, collectively contributing 2,154, 254 hours of time and effort.
Pip said: “One of the best ways to get on top of our nation’s litter challenges is to participate with your local community and register for a Clean Up Australia Day event. In the 35 years since the very first one, over 22 million Australians have gloved up and joined us in Cleaning Up our beautiful country. It really is the most practical way to make a difference and help protect our precious environment.”
Register now at cleanup.org.au for Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday March 2, 2025
INDEPENDENT NEWS IS IMPORTANT.
Enjoy reading Eco Voice? Please help us by purchasing a GIFT Voucher or send one to a friend and encourage people to purchase trees or seeds via The Native Shop – www.nativeshop.com.au
Plants, seeds & more delivered to your door!
www.nativeshop.com.au
Advertisement
