Take 3 For The Sea Award For Visitor Litter Prevention

This state-based category recognises businesses who go over and above their day-to-day commercial focus, to prevent visitor litter reaching or remaining in the natural environment. 

Eligibility: Entrants must demonstrate leadership in litter prevention, commitment, permission (including empowerment and resources for staff and customers) and an established process.

Litter is anything unwanted that is blown, thrown or left in the wrong place. An astonishing 25,000 tonnes of visitor litter was measured in the NSW environment in 2021. (Source: EPA, Don’t be a Tosser campaign)

 1. Provide an overview of your visitor economy business and describe your tourism products, experiences and/or services. (5 marks)

Include a brief description of your customer/guest demographic, number of customers per year and any seasonality, number of staff/volunteers.

Provide up to three images and map of location.

2A. Describe the visitor litter issues that concern you and impact your business. (10 marks)

Consider how these issues relate to your destination, community and impact your natural environment. Can you predict or chart when and where the littering will be?
 

Provide a location sketch re infrastructure and issues, and up to three images.

2B. What do you believe are the causes for the visitor litter issues you have called out and how do the causes relate to the strategy you have put in place to counteract these issues? (10 marks)

You may wish to reference the six factors behind littering and use input from your Ground Swell action plan.
• Cleanliness
• infrastructure
• Education & Awareness
• Enforcement
• Involvement
• Source Reduction

3A. What are the actions you have put in place to address these visitor litter issues? (10 marks)

Include your action plan (Litter Lab action plan or operational business plan/rosters, meeting notes etc)

3B. How have you encouraged and empowered staff to think creatively and offer solutions to litter issues and embrace litter prevention as business as usual? (5 marks) 

For example: Staff briefings and training, inclusion in job descriptions, incentives, regular meetings including litter prevention on agenda, pride.

3C. How have you informed and empowered your guests/visitors and community to own it and act - to be responsible for their own litter and that of others’? (10 marks) 

Demonstrate you have used the NSW Tour Operator Litter Prevention Tool kit tips such as: Including litter prevention in your business narrative, ensuring litter prevention expectations are clearly visible on your website, in booking and communication channels, on arrival and in activity briefings etc.
 

Show examples of any content or communications you have you created and shared.
Share what has and hasn’t worked. Provide up to six images.

4A. What are the most common items you have recorded and what have you done to monitor your actions to ensure longevity of your litter prevention action plan. (10 marks)

You may wish to reference your Ground Swell Location observations to support your answer.
 

If you other data collection examples such as Local Litter Check, any type of litter or plastic audit or AMDI survey, please share these.

4B. What do you think is the cost of litter to your business? (10 marks) 

You may wish to think about of the $ amount and percentage of your organisation’s total annual litter cost spent on:

· Clean up and collection – picking up litter from the ground, stormwater etc (not rubbish already in bins)

· Clean up and collection – public place litter servicing (council reserves/national parks etc)

· Education and engagement

· Strategy and planning

· Enforcement

· Admin

· Disposal or processing

· Infrastructure or equipment

· Other
 

For example, a camping and cabin business identified they spend $50,000 approximately plus wages, distributed as follows:

· 10% Clean up and collection – picking up litter from the ground, stormwater (not in bins)

· 5% Education and engagement

· 5% Administration

· 70% Disposal or Processing

· 5% Infrastructure or Equipment

· 5% Other (please specify: waste sorting and transferring)

 5A. Describe how your business has reduced non-essential plastic from your purchasing/supply channels and your visitor purchasing/guest amenity experience. Detail what you have been able to measure as the result in terms of waste reduction and financial impact. (10 marks)

Demonstrate examples such as:

· early adopters of NSW plastic ban 

· changing from single use plastic containers for amenities to larger refillable bottles

· selling tinned and glass drinks instead of plastic in café/kiosk

· providing a water fountain

· asking supplier to provide different products – bamboo biros, wood pencils, bamboo name tags

· encouraging guests to bring refillable water bottles etc

5B. Describe how you have achieved your reduction in litter. (15 marks)

How have you measured, monitored and celebrated your success so far?
 

Share how you recognise your team and guests for their litter prevention activities, involvement and successes. How do you celebrate and showcase your successes to customers and the community? E.g., social media #take3forNSW, press stories, blogs, displays, information kits etc.

5C. Do you think you there has been a reduction in the cost of litter to your business? If so, how much, in which area and why? (5 marks) 

See Section 4. Measures, question B. re cost of litter considerations.