The Cumberland City estimated resident population for 2020 was 242,674 with a population density of 3,386 persons/km². In 2016, 52.2% of people in Cumberland City were born overseas. (profile.id.com.au/Cumberland)

The Cumberland City Council population forecast for 2022 is 264,669, and is forecast to grow to 304,811 by 2036. (forecast.id.com.au/cumberland).

Cumberland City Council’s community vision is Welcome, Belong, Succeed.

Council’s strategic plan identifies litter in Strategic Goal 3 ‘A clean and green community’.

“This priority also ensures a desire for clean and well-maintained public areas in Cumberland. This takes into account waste collection, litter removal and public place infrastructure maintenance. This focus is based on the high rates of street litter in the past and the effect that cleaner areas will have on community pride and health.” (2017 Cumberland Community Strategic Plan).

Council’s Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy also identifies litter as part of cleaniness and illegal dumping actions. Key Focus Area 4 is to reduce illegal dumping and littering and ensure cleanliness. The actions include a Public Place Cleansing Action Plan to improve street cleanliness and reduce littering. Council does not have an overall litter prevention target, instead Council uses project-based targets. There is no separate litter prevention plan.

Projects

Litter projects are mainly litter clean-up with some education.

Council supports

• the annual Clean Up Australia Day community events
• Conservation Volunteers Australia – clean up events a year along Duck River
• Gross Pollutant Traps – 110 GPTs installed across the LGA including Duck River.

In 2020 Cumberland implemented an EPA Litter grant: Cleaning Cumberland – ‘Litter, its everyone’s responsibility’

The project targeted litter along the Great Western Highway, Wentworthville, which
is heavily used by drivers, shoppers and pedestrians. Transport NSW assisted with clean-up at the site at project outset. Temporary roadside signage and bin infrastructure was installed to support the project. Council rangers were trained and ran an enforcement blitz supported by EPA promotional activities. The project also targeted takeaway and beverage container litter through partnerships with local food outlets and on-site education signage. There was a 90% drop in litter as a result.

In 2022 Council was again successful with an EPA Litter Grant. Keep it Clean – Put it in the bin! will partner with several sporting groups and volunteer groups to deliver litter prevention actions at local sporting fields. The project will be able to provide a guide to working with sporting clubs on litter prevention. A driver for this project is that litter generated at local sporting hotspots ends up in Duck River.

Hotspots

• the Great Western Highways and other roads and streets have been identified as previous hotspots and a street cleanliness plan and litter grant were implemented
• sports fields adjacent to the Duck River.