Litter
The Litter Working Group is targeting litter from a catchment wide perspective
The Chain of Ponds Collaboration identified litter and rubbish dumping as a catchment-wide issue for Moonee Ponds Creek and litter education and urban renewal as opportunities to transform the Creek (Chain of Ponds Prospectus).
A Litter Working Group was formed in June 2019 to identify actions the group could implement and/or advocate for - to address the litter issue. It was felt that an agreed and shared action plan would help the group to prioritise and coordinate energies for greatest impact, lead to a reduction in the incidence and impact of litter and the cost of litter removal. A clear framework and plan that identifies the high priorities for investment was developed in conjunction with Alluvium Consulting and released in December 2020.
In July 2022, Chain of Ponds received a Liveable Communities, Liveable Waterways grant (Melbourne Water) to co-fund a Litter Officer Role for 2 years to support the Litter Working Group to develop and implement a Litter Action Plan, building on the Alluvium Litter Assessment.
In October 2022, Neil Sutton developed a Litter Action Plan with the Working Group and began working on this together.
In October 2024, Ho Ching Mui took over the working group to continue this work together with the Councils and community.
In January 2025, Kelvin Thomson, who has had a long association with the Moonee Ponds Creek, took over as Litter Action Officer.
Adopt a Creek!
Litter is both a problem for the environment and a problem for people. It is on the increase; for example Australia now produces 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year; that is 100kg per person! 84% of that goes to landfill. It tends to end up in waterways, and in the case of Melbourne, in Port Phillip Bay. It is estimated that 99% of seabirds worldwide have ingested plastic.
It is also a problem for people. Areas of public open space with litter become unsightly, prone to more litter, graffiti and vandalism. They are less attractive, and feel less safe. On the other hand, cleaning up litter develops civic pride and community spirit – a sense that we value our public places, and we’re all in this together.
As part of the Litter Action Plan for the Moonee Ponds Creek, we want to encourage people and groups to “Adopt a Creek” – to take responsibility for cleaning up, and keeping clean, a section of the creek near their home.
Individuals and families will likely be able to put creek rubbish in their own bins, but larger groups are likely to need Council support to take away the rubbish they collect. We can assist with that.
Already an Oak Park couple, Carolyn Layton and Greg Hunt, have volunteered to look after the section between Margaret Street and the tennis courts at John Pascoe Fawkner Reserve, and Jac di Blasi and Pamela Lloyd have volunteered to look after the Brunswick side of the creek downstream from Dawson Street.
We would welcome any individuals or families in Hume that are interested in looking after a section of the Moonee Ponds Creek to make contact, so we can discuss the plan further. Together, we’re gonna clean up this creek!
Phase 1: Establishing key accumulation sites, engaging community in clean ups/ audits, gathering litter volume and type data
We are excited to keep our community clean with regular clean-ups along Moonee Ponds Creek!
Five Mile Creek has been a litter hotspot, but thanks to the help of Moonee Valley Sustainability, we’re tackling it head-on. On 7 July, despite the chilly weather, a fantastic group of nature-lovers came out to help! In addition, after the clean-up, we did an audit to gather some baseline data for our upcoming education programs targeted in Essendon. Together, we collected 45kg of litter, with more than 24% being soft plastic remnants and 18% polystyrene, along with a noticeable amount of plastic wraps, bags, cloth items, aluminum cans, etc.
That litter is really harming our waterway! We’re on a mission to find solutions in the area and will keep you updated about the progress we’re making. Thanks for being a part of this effort!
Join the Moonee Ponds Creek Litter Clean-Up Team on Facebook here if you are interested to get involved in cleans and be part of the litter solution.
Phase 2: Education programs, improvement to street litter maintenance and enforcement at hotspot sources
Source Reduction Program in Pascoe Vale, Merri-bek
We’re thrilled to share that our litter reduction education pilot program in Pascoe Vale has been a great success. The Litter-ARTY program was a highlight of the program! With the awesome support of the Merri Creek Management Committee, students from Westbreen Primary School have dived into engaging lessons about our local waterways, followed by clean-up events along the streets and the Creek.
The best part? Litter collected during these clean-ups has been transformed into incredible art sculptures by our talented students. Some of these masterpieces pay tribute to our endangered indigenous species found in local waterways, i.e. the Platypus, Rakali and Growing Grass Frog. The students are absolutely thrilled with their creations. The sculptures were showcased at Glenroy Library and Melbourne Water and are about to move to Brunswick Town Hall.
We are not stopping here! We are aiming to expand this program to other local schools, spreading inspiration and awareness throughout the community. We even have plans to create a guiding reference so that other schools can easily replicate this fun and impactful initiative!
Take a moment below to admire these fantastic sculptures!
Source Reduction Program in Essendon, Moonee Valley
With the positive results from our source reduction program at Pascoe Vale, we are bringing the good vibes to Essendon! Keilor Road shopping strips have been identified as a litter hotspot in the area. Our plan is to engage with the retailers and local community, alongside with Moonee Valley City Council and Moonee Valley Sustainability, for some clean-ups and education sessions to inspire a bit of behavioral change. Stay tuned for our updates – we can’t wait to share our adventure!
Source Reduction Program in Roxbourgh Park, Hume
With Hume City Council hosting the Chain of Ponds, we are stepping up our game in the area! We have chosen Roxbourgh Park, another litter hotspot, as our pilot project in Hume. After some eye-opening visits, we found heaps of litter making its way into the wetland between the shopping centre and the train station. The situation is daunting!
We will start investigating where all this litter is coming from and look for ways to sort it out. We’d love for the local community to join us—if you’re passionate about keeping your neighbourhood clean and want to lend a hand, we’d be stoked to have you on board!
Moonee Ponds Creek Litter Working Group Action Plan
An action plan as defined by the Chain of Ponds Litter Working group focusing on (1) building engagement, understanding and awareness of/around the litter problem, (2) educating people within hotspot areas to change behaviour, (3) change policy related to product production/consumption.
Moonee Ponds Creek Litter Assessment
A catchment-wide Litter Assessment produced for Chain of Ponds - by Alluvium Consulting
Hoffmans Road Main Drain - Litter Management Investigation
Includes Draft Litter Assessment Tool - Melbourne Water / Alluvium Consulting