The City of Parramatta estimated resident Population for 2020 is 260,296, with a population density of 3,108 persons/km².

The City of Parramatta Community Strategic Plan includes sustainable as part of the community vision .

Council has an Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2017 that had the target of reducing litter by 40% by 2020. This has been revised to reduce the volume of litter by 50% by 2023.

Council’s Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy 2019 identified the following litter actions:

• L1. Conduct a study of litter across the City to establish a baseline from which we can monitor progress over time and identify possible interventions
• L2. Continue community engagement and public place litter programs to encourage a change in behaviour
• L3. Partner with schools, community organisations, and sporting clubs to support anti-litter campaigns and deliver litter-free events
• L4. Continue to install fit for purpose litter bins across the City, targeting high use areas as a priority
• L5. Ensure Council’s street sweeping and public place cleaning programs have the capacity to maintain service levels based on the principle that people are less likely to litter in areas that are clean
• L6. Continue to maintain existing stormwater litter traps and identify priority locations for the installation of new infrastructure
• L7. Deliver campaigns to ensure bins are presented with lids closed and not overflowing to prevent windblown litter.

These actions are embedded into council practice through linking actions and KPIs into Councils Delivery Program and Operational Plan. Actions are shared across a number of departments:

Cleansing, Parks, Opens Space and Natural Resources, Waste, Place, and Regulatory.

Overall responsibility for reporting against targets etc is with the Sustainability team as owners of the WARR Strategy.

Projects

The Litter Study 2019 was repeated 2021 at the same places.

More detailed strategies were developed based on the findings of local litter studies with detailed/prioritised actions for different site types/litter streams- responding to hotspots rather than high level actions.

Litter Education is Mixed – schools program (schools and preschools) is offered through our waste contractor but is not well subscribed.

Council has installed more infrastructure:

• 807 public place bins including 27 solar compacting bins
• 83 active Enviropoles/Cigarette Bins
• 30 dog poo bag dispensers.

Council supports community programs such as:

• Responsible Cafes and Green Caffeen
• Plastic Free July promotions
• Clean Up Australia Day
• providing resources to regular clean-up groups including the collection of litter
• Seaside Scavenge event along Parramatta River near Lennox Bridge (postponed due to COVID)
• community groups actions such as Parraparents along the river (e.g. George Kendall Park Ermington) and the Plastic Pluckers (Northmead/Toongabbie creek).

Council education and awareness includes:

• training for local litter champions on conducting safe community clean ups (BWAR funded)
• video on litter and single use plastics (DWM funded)
• place based campaigns (Love where you live ) such as in Harris Park with signs, family fun day, issues talks and print material
• working with Sydney Olympic Park Authority to educate on litter prevention in parks
• some public place bins include signage ‘keep our river clean’, and some streetsweepers have litter messaging however there is no single all- encompassing messaging
• in 2022 a project with fast food outlets – signage, cleaning regimes and engagement.

Monitoring data is collected through:

• street sweeping, GPTs, Clean Up Australia Day in tonnages
• an investigation into impact of collect and return services on litter loads (DWM funded)
• Waterways officer does litter picks
• Local Litter Checks conducted pre andpost project for all projects
• 7 solar bins installed as a result of complaints and hotspot identification will have Local Litter Checks pre and post instalment.

Council practice includes:

• Council run events (e.g.weekly farmers markets, Australia Day events) avoid single use plastic in stall holder agreements and provide organics recycling
• Council trialled reusable cups for two years at Parramatta Lanes event and now uses council branded purchased cups
• to minimise bin spillage from medium density dwellings caused by overflowing bins, bird scavenging etc the waste contractor has a runner.