Torquay – Surf Coast Shire

The Torquay Rubbish Rangers, celebrating their first year in February, have made a significant impact on keeping Torquay clean. With around 30 members, led by the dedicated Dean, they cover 26km of the Surf Coast Highway on bikes equipped with trailers to collect rubbish and recycling every week or 10 days. Dean’s visibility promotes the group’s efforts, involving people of various ages, from 18 to 60. Future plans include expanding the cleaning efforts and collaborating with schools during warmer months.

Merrivale – City of Warrnambool

The annual Sustainable Scarecrow Trail in Warrnambool embraced the theme ‘Totally Wild,’ focusing on beach debris engagement. Community and school clean-up days collected marine debris, temporarily stored in ‘the cage’ at the local football oval. Education workshops emphasised the environmental impact of debris, promoting its use in constructing sustainable scarecrows. Residents were encouraged to participate in the scarecrow trail, fostering connections to the marine debris issue and promoting community engagement with sustainable solutions.

Safety Beach – Mornington Peninsula Shire

The Mornington Peninsula Shire adopted the Smoke Free Environments Policy in 2019, adhering to principles of the Tobacco Act and supporting the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Smoke Free Charter. The policy encompasses both tobacco and e-cigarette use. Its aims are to reduce smoking rates, tobacco-related litter, and create smoke-free public spaces on relevant Shire land. The Shire conducted a trial in nine Smoke Free Areas to gather data and engage communities for effective policy implementation, focusing on butt bin and sign placement and butt litter sources.

Warrnambool, Killarney, Port Fairy, Narrawong, Portland, Nullawarre – City of Warrnambool

The Bottles Overboard Project, led by Beach Patrol 3280-3284, addresses foreign bottles and packaging littering Southwest Victoria’s beaches. By tracing origins through #bottlesoverboard tags and research, they identified 2,600 plastic branded items, with 80% originating from Asia. Utilising citizen science, the group’s daily beach cleans contribute to this research. They also engage a wider audience through dedicated social media pages to expand the project’s reach and impact.

Dandenong – City of Dandenong

The Keep it Clean program in Greater Dandenong aims to combat illegal dumping, utilising social media, signage, and billboards to increase awareness. It targets households, retailers, businesses, and property managers, with the objectives of promoting free hard rubbish collection, reducing street and illegal dumping. Webpages provide details on collections and reporting illegal dumping.

Werribee, City of Wyndham 

The ‘Let’s Strain the Drains’ initiative in Victoria aimed to address upstream pollutants by installing and monitoring 163 litter traps in stormwater infrastructure across eight metropolitan councils. Tangaroa Blue Foundation and Pipe Management Australia led the meticulous monitoring and auditing. Collaborating with local councils and land managers, source reduction plans targeted identified litter items to reduce their impact on Port Phillip Bay.