Litter on the decline

The occurrence of litter national is declining, the Keep Australia Beautiful National Litter Index (NLI) shows.

“The continuing decrease in litter is the result of collaborative actions between government, industry and community groups, such as the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC), to address concerns about litter,” said APC CEO Stan Moore.

The 2013 national average number of litter items per 1000 m² is 56, a decrease of 3.4% on the previous year. The national average estimated volume of litter per 1000 m² is 6.13 L - a decrease of 1.8%. Victoria is ahead of the other states and territories with a 17% reduction by item on the 2012 count.

“Victoria’s positive result is due to their holistic approach to litter reduction encompassing education, packaging design, infrastructure and enforcement.

“The results show how influential a collaborative approach can be to deliver positive environmental outcomes.”

Since the NLI was launched 8 years ago, an overall reduction of 20% in items and 31% by volume have been achieved. Figures are based on counts taken twice a year at 983 sites across Australia. The annual report allows each state and territory to be compared against the national average.

The research is funded by state and territory governments and the Australian Packaging Covenant.

The National Litter Index report is available here.