Manningham Council has been awarded a State Government grant to implement the “Keep Our Yarra River Litter FREE” project, designed to educate the local community and involve them in cleaning up local waterways.
Manningham Mayor Cr Jim Grivokostopoulos welcomed the recent announcement of the $13,300 grant by Minister for Environment and Climate Change, and Member for Warrandyte, Hon Ryan Smith.
“There are seven creeks in Manningham that flow into the Yarra River at the northern boundary of the City and ultimately into Port Phillip Bay, so the announcement of funding to assist the implementation of the “Keep Our Yarra River Litter FREE” project is great news.”
“Manningham Council is very passionate about the environment, especially improving the quality and cleanliness of our local waterways and it is very important that we do everything we can to minimise devastating impact of litter on local wildlife.”
“Through the “Keep Our Yarra River Litter FREE”, Council will focus on building community partnerships, educating the local schools and implementing new infrastructure to reduce litter and provide the community with a better understanding of the impact of litter on the environment,” he said.
Cr Grivokostopoulos “said one the most important factors of any successful litter prevention programs is the provision of appropriate infrastructure which makes it as simple as possible for people to dispose of their waste.”
“Infrastructure plays an important role in behaviour change, so to encourage people to correctly dispose of their litter, Council is implementing litter and recycle bins along the Yarra River walk in Warrandyte.”
“As part of the project litter bins in the area will be replaced with bins that picture Warrandyte from the 1900s and others that depict local wildlife from the area and tell a story about the particular animal.”
“By making the bins a feature of the area it is hoped that they will bring about more awareness of the campaign objectives and prompt people to change their disposal behaviour,” he said.
Mr Smith said the Victorian Coalition Government’s Litter Hotspots Project helps build a better Victoria by working with local councils such as Manningham and community groups to find local litter solutions.
“Cleaning up litter from streets and public places is costly, with litter clean-up costing local councils $78 million every year. These costs can be avoided by helping people in Manningham to dispose of litter properly.”
“This program will deliver great benefits that will see this program in Manningham Council implemented as part of the State Government’s $7 million commitment for a cleaner Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay,” Mr Smith said.
