Most of us believe littering is wrong, but at some point in our lives many of us will litter. Sometimes we litter by accident or sometimes we think we are doing the right thing but are actually littering, for example when you throw out an apple core or when you place waste next to a full bin.
Litter makes a place look dirty. Research shows that when an area looks not cared for, more people will litter there. Litter also damages the habitats of native animals. Wind and rain can easily move litter. Once in our waterways and eventually the ocean, litter causes a lot of damage to marine ecosystems.
What does Council do?
Council provides services to keep our streets and parks clean such as cleaning, public bins and graffiti removal. Council is working proactively to prevent littering and aims to reduce litter in hotspots by 50 per cent by 2021. Read more about our Litter Strategy and scroll down to find out more about our current projects.
What can you do?
We encourage you to do your bit to keep our City beautiful by disposing of waste in the bin. In 2018 Council launched the Love Your Place program which is designed to encourage our community to take an active role in keeping our City clean and green. If you want to be more actively involved this program allows you to adopt a park or street and look after it with a group of people. Alternatively you could participate in Clean Up Australia Day which is held annually on the first Sunday in March.
Please take our litter survey to let us know what you think about litter in our area! Your feedback will help us better manage litter in our beautiful parks and streets.
All entrants who take the survey will go in the running to win a $100 dining voucher for a local restaurant or cafe.
Find out more at our dedicated Collaborate Page.
Reporting Litter from Vehicles
Did you know you can report littering from vehicles? By doing so, you can help raise awareness, reduce clean-up costs and keep NSW clean.
If you see someone littering from their vehicle, you can report them to the Environmental Protection Authority. Fines from $250 can be issued from your report.
To report littering from a vehicle you need to:
Picnic Project in Cabarita & Macllwaine Park
In 2018 Council received a grant from the Environmental Protection Authority to launch the Picnic Project. The Picnic project aims reduce litter in Cabarita and McIlwaine Park. These regional parks with their pristine foreshore views are a popular destination for weekend picnickers.
As part of this project Council has completely renewed the bin infrastructure in both parks by installing 44 new bin surrounds. During the summer months Council Officers will visit the park to talk to people about litter and how to leave no trace. Picnickers will be encouraged to pledge to love these parks by putting their rubbish in the bin.
Love Your Place
The Love Your Place program is designed to encourage local residents, businesses and organisations to show pride in their community by taking an active role in the keeping your space clean and green. As a Love Your Place partner, you will:
In return, to keep your nominated place clean and green, Council will provide you with:
To find out more, download the Volunteer Information Package or email Council's Sustainability Project Officer. Love Your Place Volunteer Application Form.
Clean Up Australia Day
Held annually on the first Sunday in March, Clean Up Australia Day is a national event to clean up litter from our environment. The event is supported by the City of Canada Bay and registrations open in November each year.
Clean Up Australia Day will next be held on Sunday, 6 March 2022. The City of Canada Bay is hosting clean-up sites from 7:30am-11:30am at:
Refreshments will be provided for volunteers. We encourage our community to support this event and make it bigger and better every year. You can join an existing site or register your own.
For more information, to register as a volunteer or to create your own site, visit the Clean Up Australia Day website and don't forget that every day is perfect to Clean Up Australia.