National Litter Index Shows Improvement

The Liberal Government is committed to building on Tasmania’s competitive advantages, including our natural environment.

The release today of Keep Australia Beautiful’s National Litter Index shows that Tasmania has recorded a very welcome improvement in the amount of litter in our environment over the past 12 months.

The National Litter Index records the number of pieces of litter found per 1,000m2 at various sites around the state. It also offers a comparison between states and territories.

In 2013/14 the National Litter Index count found 65 pieces of litter per 1,000m2 at Tasmanian sites – a significant improvement on the previous four years where between 83 and 86 pieces of litter were recorded.

It is pleasing to see that Tasmania has recorded improvement in our rates of littering according to the Index. It has been a very unwanted record for Tasmania to be rated as having the worst rates of littering in the country over the previous four years.

While this is a positive sign it is very important we continue the improvement, as we know litter continues to be a problem in various sites around the state.

Cigarette butts continue to be the most frequently recorded litter item in our state and I urge smokers to be particularly vigilant in making sure they dispose of cigarette butts correctly.

The Tasmanian Government has been a strong supporter of Keep Australia Beautiful Tasmania’s programs. I am pleased to announce that we will be continuing to support their programs this year with funding of $30,000.

I encourage all Tasmanians to do the right thing and keep our environment clear of litter.
Matthew Groom, Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage