New pick-up lines
Image: Waverley mayor Sally Betts launches the litter campaign on Channel 7's Sunrise program. Photo: supplied
Waverley and Randwick councils have officially launched their joint ‘Eastern Beaches Litter’ campaign with the roll out of cheeky advertisements and art works designed to encourage the community to keep the beaches clean over the busy summer period.
The mayors of both councils launched the innovative ‘Junk Jukebox’ component of the campaign on Thursday January 23 at Coogee Beach’s Goldstein Reserve. Mayor of Waverley Sally Betts said the two councils were committed to the environment.
“The litter campaign is about changing the community’s behaviour to pick up their rubbish,” she said.
“When rubbish is left on the street or the sand it ends up in the ocean, and this of course, has terrible consequences for our environment.”
The focus of the campaign is to prevent the littering of cigarette butts, plastic takeaway containers and general rubbish in public areas. The Bondi sea wall has been painted with a fresh mural reminding people of the effect their rubbish can have on the local wildlife, and the importance of disposing of their litter appropriately. A series of tongue-in-cheek advertisements encouraging people to ‘pick up’ will be unveiled across Waverley and Randwick to educate the community about picking up their rubbish.
While patrolling the beaches over December and the first few weeks of January, when Bondi can attract up to 50,000 visitors in a day, council rangers have been enforcing the smoking ban and alcohol free zones, speaking with more than 200 beachgoers. Cr Betts said over the busy summer period additional operations have been collecting 15 cubic metres of waste each week.
Randwick Mayor Scott Nash said the council was proud to partner with Waverley to promote the message of environmental sustainability and waste reduction.
“The eastern suburbs of Sydney has some of the most beautiful beaches and foreshores in the world, let’s make sure we keep it that way,” he said.
Both councils are undertaking audits to measure the effectiveness of the campaign in influencing people’s behaviour.
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