Wollongong City Council is leading the way in litter reduction

Wollongong City Council are leading the way with the success of their bin basket litter reduction initiative for local parks and beaches.

As part of their Summer Cleansing Program to reduce litter and improve public place recycling, Wollongong City Council installed approximately 136 Return and Earn bin baskets in foreshores and parks from Stanwell Park to Windang.

The baskets are attached to bins in public areas, allowing visitors to dispose of their eligible bottles, cans and cartons responsibly. Other members of the public are free to collect them from the bin baskets for recycling through Return and Earn to get the 10c refund for every eligible container.

Mig Arellano, Waste Operations Coordinator at Wollongong City Council says they have seen great community engagement with the baskets “We found that quite a lot of kids go around collecting for pocket money, which has been great. It’s just been really successful,”

“You’ll see some cans in the afternoon, but by the morning they’re all gone.” said Mr. Arellano.

The baskets are a great visual aid to remind people to do the right thing and recycle when they are out and about, “It’s about caring for your environment, caring for the place you live, having some pride in your area and making a difference that way.” says Marcel van Wijk, Street and Gutter Cleaner at Wollongong City Council.

The success of the program has seen Wollongong City Council crowned the winner of the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Tidy Towns Litter Prevention: Clean Community Award in 2024. This award recognises the council’s efforts to take action to reduce and prevent litter in the community.