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Let’s get litterate

Willoughby

Willoughby City Council is in northern Sydney and has six creeks flowing both into Middle Harbour and the Lane Cove River (Willoughby catchment location finder). The Council area covers 22.43km² with a population density of 3,619 persons/km² (profile.id.com.au/Willoughby).

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Part of the Lane Cove River catchment.

Blacktown Cumberland Canada Bay Inner West Strathfield Parramatta The Hills Shire Hornsby Shire Ku-ring-gai Willoughby Mosman Lane Cove Sydney North Sydney Burwood Woollahra Waverley Ryde Canterbury Bankstown Northern Beaches Parramatta River Catchment Lane Cove River Catchment Middle Harbour Catchment Port Jackson Catchment

Willoughby

Community

The Willoughby City Council population forecast for 2022 is 83,488, and is forecast to grow to 91,848 by 2036 (forecast.id.com.au/Willoughby).

In 2016, 45.4% of people in Willoughby City were born overseas (profile.id.com.au/Willoughby). In 2018, 52% of the population were couples with children (Our Future Willoughby 2028).

Willoughby’s Community vision is a City of Diversity: diverse landscapes, people and businesses.

Willoughby has several community environment groups who are active in litter clean-ups and prevention. These include:

  • Willoughby Environment Protection Association (WEPA)
  • Scotts Creek Bushcare group.

Willoughby

Litter policy

Council’s Our Green City Plan 2028 outlines a goal for litter free parks and streets.

Council actions are that Council will actively participate in the NSW anti-litter campaign. Council has a draft Litter and Anti-Dumping Strategy.

Council is a member of the Northern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (NSROC) and was implementing the NSROC Regional Litter Plan 2016-2021.

Projects

Council runs periodic clean up events and provides support for Clean Up Australia Day events (usually up to 10 events each year).

Council runs periodic social media campaigns using campaign material other than the the NSW EPA’s in public places.

Council rangers enforce anti-littering through fines. In 2021 209 fines were issued, 124 for on-the-spot littering and 85 for depositing litter from a vehicle.

Council is increasing infrastructure with more recycling bins in public places and general waste bins. Council has increased cigarette butt bins in hotspot areas and provided dog poo bags in several parks. Council does not have Return and Earn machines.

The litter prevention project Green Caffeen has had some success.

Council has banned single use plastics in the weekly market and at Council events and has a Sustainable Events Policy.

Council received a round 5 litter grant from the NSW EPA to target litter in the Chatswood CBD. The project had a focus on improving hotspot sites and their amenities, graffiti removal, preventing litter escaping from bins, improving the presentation of bins, and moving them to better locations and improved servicing practices.

Council also received funding from the NSW EPA for a butt litter project including signage.

A project in Artarmon Reserve targeted dog poo litter and included signage, enforcement officers attending, give away bags with messaging, social media, and letter box drops around the reserve on keeping the area clean.

Upcoming events

Council identifies hotspots on a project basis using the local litter check methodology.

  • litter within the Artarmon industrial area
  • Chatswood business precinct.