Litter Hero – Queensland Country Bank Stadium
Source Reduction Plan (SRP) Overview
Name of SRP
Partners Delivering the SRP
- Tangaroa Blue Foundation & ReefClean – created, delivered & led the SRP
- Queensland Country Bank Stadium – venue owner, delivery partner
Location
Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville, QLD.
The area covered was inclusive of the concrete pathways, surrounding vegetation and garden beds, and the Designated Outdoor Smoking Areas (DOSAs).
Photo 1
Evidence of the issue
Photo 2
Evidence of SRP resources
Photo 3
Evidence of positive outcomes
Overall Goals & Background
Targeted Debris
Event Litter Debris – both inside and outside the stadium
- Cigarette butts & filters
- Cardboard takeaway containers – alcoholic beverage & McDonalds cups, paper straws & other food packaging (burger and chip boxes)
- QCBS wristbands with associated sticker peel
- Paper remnants from flyers, tickets, signs
- Merchandising wastes such as tags, plastic hangers and cable ties
Why is the SRP needed?
The sheer size of the Queensland Country Bank Stadium (QCBS), along with record breaking attendances (27,533 people), means events at this stadium often result in excess litter in and around the area. The stadium backs onto the Ross River and has multiple drainage systems, creating a higher potential for debris to enter the marine environment.
The Litter Hero project aimed to reduce litter within the external perimeter of the stadium, and also to educate the public and merchandising vendors on how to responsibly discard of their litter.
Logistics
Timeline and Project Goals
- 18 games within the 2021 season
- 15 games within the 2022 season
2021 – 2023
Volunteers for the Litter Hero team were sourced from a variety of avenues. This included previous volunteers of Tangaroa Blue Foundation, SEEK volunteers, flyer distribution to local sporting clubs.
Both Tangaroa Blue Foundation staff and volunteers removed any litter items found within the external perimeter grounds of the stadium (π x 471 x 200) – (π x 180 x 320) for a 2-3 hour period and revisited Designated Outdoor Smoking Areas (DOSAs) after the half-time period. Litter collected was then weighed, sorted and recorded within the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database.
Our overall goal was to see reduced amounts of high concentrated litter in the area but to also see positive behavioural changes from the public over time.
Measuring Success
This SRP consisted of 5 phases, trial stage, audit trial stage, extension for the entire 2021 season, audit for 2021 and audit for 2022 season.
Once the litter debris was collected, it was initially weighed and recorded, then sorted using a process which aligns with the categories highlighted in the Marine Debris Identification Manual. Raw totals of each debris category were recorded and then entered into the AMDI Database.
Alongside the direct impact of rubbish removal, the Litter Hero team also focused on educating the public through their presence at a stall before the game and whilst doing their rounds at the stadium. The mere presence of having a team at each event, whilst wearing the branded high visibility “Litter Hero” vests and carrying around the litter collection buckets with “Ditch the Flick” and “Litter Hero” branding, often lead to many positive discussions with spectators.
Posts to the Tangaroa Blue and ReefClean social media platforms, and inclusion to the Cowboys Leagues Club members e-newsletter on the 13th May and the 22nd July (with approximate reach of 30, 000 members).
- Facebook – 27 Posts made by Tangaroa Blue Foundation and ReefClean, with audience reach of 9010 and 539 audience engagements
- Instagram – 20 Posts made by Tangaroa Blue Foundation and ReefClean, reach of 1730 and 554 audience engagement
- Website Articles – 3 articles posted to the Tangaroa Blue Foundation Website
Data Collection & Reporting
With the help of volunteers and Tangaroa Blue staff, the Litter Hero team split up the area in groups and collected litter into branded bins. This was then sorted into each debris category and recorded into the AMDI Database.
To achieve a fair comparison for reporting purposes, the number of debris items collected has been calculated relative to the attendance at the event; this is due to the inconsistent attendance rate at events, with a minimum attendance of 9,238 compared to a record-breaking attendance of 27,533. For analysis, each game was assigned to its relevant game type: Cowboys Home Games, Rugby Union Games, National Soccer Games and Special Event Games. Averages were used according to how many items per 1000 spectators and the average weight in kg collected per game.
Results and Reflections
Positive Outcomes
At the beginning of the National Rugby League (NRL) season, the team at Tangaroa Blue Foundation launched the “Ditch the Flick” project in partnership with Queensland Country Bank Stadium. Phase 1 of this project ran for a total of 5 games, and resulted in a 71% reduction in cigarette butt litter.
In a direct comparison of 2021 & 2022 Litter Hero audits, the results are as follows:
On average, 2021 saw 79.52 items of litter debris collected per 1000 spectators, whereas in 2022, we collected 57.64 items per 1000 spectators.
The average weight of litter debris collected per game in 2021 was 3.16kg compared to 2.55kg in 2022.
With a decrease in number of items collected per capita and a decrease in the average weight (kg) collected per game from the 2021 to 2022 season, it appears the presence of the Litter Hero team at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium has had a positive impact on reducing littering at events.
Funding
This project was part of the ReefClean project. ReefClean is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by Tangaroa Blue Foundation. The cost of this SRP was $10,000 AUD in addition to in-kind and financial support from the Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
Challenges & Improvements
The biggest challenge was to determine how the data would be recorded. This is due to the fluctuation of attendees at each game across the seasons.
Although it could be speculated that attendance correlates with debris load, this was not supported as the lowest attendee rate produced the highest numbers of debris load. For analysis, each game was assigned to its relevant game type: Cowboys Home Games, Rugby Union Games, National Soccer Games and Special Event Games.
Unfortunately, with the increase in merchandising stands, we saw a rise in the number of tags, plastic hangers, and cable ties collected during the event. TBF provided a ‘Vendors Guide to Sustainable Merchandising’ with advice on how to minimise their waste and dispose of litter debris accordingly.
Future Opportunities
This project has since been handed over to Queensland Country Bank Stadium staff and continues to be implemented at events occurring at the stadium. The stadium is now in possession of 8 Ditch the Flick branded cigarette butt bins.
