Litter Hero – Queensland Country Bank Stadium
Source Reduction Plan (SRP) Overview
Name of SRP
Partners Delivering the SRP
Acknowledgement of partners/organisations that helped implement the SRP and their key responsibilities.
(Local Council, other local government agencies, other community groups).
- Tangaroa Blue Foundation & ReefClean – created, delivered & led the SRP
- Queensland Country Bank Stadium – event venue for clean-ups
Location
Name the type of location; beach, school, CBD, industrial area and the town/city the SPR was implemented.
(For example, Woolworths carpark, Castletown, Townsville)
Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville North QLD.
The area covered was inclusive of the concrete pathways, surrounding vegetation and garden beds, and the Designated Outdoor Smoking Areas (DOSA’s).
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Overall Goals & Background
Targeted Debris/Litter Item
Name of item or group of items being targeted in this SRP (For example, water bottles or recreational fishing gear)
Event Litter Debris
- 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?
Considering the sheer size of the Queensland Country Bank Stadium with a record breaking attendance of 27,533, these large events often result in excess litter within an area. Given that the stadium backs onto the Ross River and has multiple drainage systems, it creates higher potential for debris to enter the marine environment.
Logistics
General Timeline
How long did it take?
Include audits, installation/distribution of materials, SRP completion & reporting.
- 18 games within the 2021 season
- 15 games within the 2022 season
2021 – 2023
The ‘Litter Hero’ project at the stadium was aimed at not only reducing the litter within the external perimeter of the stadium but to also educate the public and merchandising vendors on how to responsibly discard their litter.
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 (DOSA’s) after the half-time period. Litter collected was then weighed, sorted and recorded within the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) database.
Over the course of 24 games, 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
How did you measure the success of the
SRP?
Some examples include:
– How did you measure/show the reduction of litter, through data collection?
– How many assets were created and distributed?
– Targeted audience (what type of audience were reached and how many people? How was this measured?)
– How did you measure community engagement?
This SRP consisted of 5 phases, trail stage, audit trail 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 AMDI handbook. Raw totals of the numbers of each debris category was recorded and then entered into the AMDI database online.
Alongside the direct impact of rubbish removal the Litter Hero team also focused on educating the public with a stall visited 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.
Volunteers for the Litter Hero team were sourced from a variety of avenues. This included previous volunteers of TBF, SEEK volunteers, flyer distribution to local sporting clubs.
Posts to the ReefClean and TBF 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 TBF and ReefClean, with audience reach of 9010 and 539 audience engagements
- Instagram – 20 Posts made by TBF and ReefClean, reach of 1730 and 554 audience engagement
- Website Articles – 3 articles posted to the Tangaroa Blue Foundation Website
- The Queenslander Article
Data Collection & Reporting
What methodology did you use to collect
the data?
How was the data recorded and shared?
(For example, audits, survey frequency, AMDI Database) Include evidence of the methodology used relevant to your type of location. Monitoring Methodology – Tangaroa Blue
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.
In order to achieve a fair comparison for reporting purposes the number of debris items collected have been calculated relative to the attendance at the event. This is due to the inconsistent attendance rate at events, with the minimum attendance of 9,238 compared to a record breaking attendance of 27,533. For the purpose of analysis each game was assigned to their 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 average weight in kg collected per game.
Results and Reflections
Positive Outcomes
What was the outcome of your SMART goal?
– Was there a reduction in targeted debris/ litter?
– What assets were created/how many were distributed?
– Did you reach your targeted audience and how was the community engaged?
Include website links and social media platforms
At the beginning of the National Rugby League (NRL) season the team at TBF 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 direct comparison of 2021 & 2022 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
What did the SRP cost?
– Cash fundings for asset creation and implementation
– What In-kind funding support did you receive from partners/organisations?
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 has a correlation to debris load, this was not supported as the lowest attendee rate in fact produced the highest numbers of debris load. For the purpose of analysis each game was assigned to their relevant game type, Cowboys Home Games, Rugby Union Games, National Soccer Games and Special Event Games.
Challenges & Improvements
What challenges did you face during the SRP?
– How were these addressed and adapted to?
What could be improved if this SRP was to be replicated?
Unfortunately with the increase in merchandising stands we saw an increase in the amount of tags, plastic hangers and cable ties collected during an 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
What were some additional positive outcomes?
Is your SRP still in action?
(For example, have any partners/organisations, Local Council, agencies, or community groups continued to implement your SRP?)
Include website links & social media
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.