There is now one more clean street in Cessnock City after Wollombi Road, Bellbird was hit by the council’s roadside litter blitz last Thursday.
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Traffic control was undertaken at the Pinch along Wollombi Road, where community volunteers handed out to cars a litter blitz pack including vehicle garbage bags and informative postcards on how to report litterbugs safely.
A group of contractors assisted with the litter clean up, with the total amount of waste picked up on Thursday weighing in at 400 kilograms, and the most common pieces of litter being energy drink cans and iced coffee bottles.
The initiative, pushed by Cessnock City Council sustainability officer Tricia Donnelly, was supported by local community groups Bellbird Tidy Towns and Wollombi Tidy Valleys.
In January this year, the council was approved for a grant from the NSW Environment Protection Authority to run an education program to target roadside litter thrown from vehicles focusing on Wollombi Road, Bellbird and Wine Country Drive, Pokolbin.
“We are trialling different techniques to see what is effective in influencing people to change their actions,” Ms. Donnelly said.
With the program comes a new and improved reporting system for those wanting to report individuals they see littering from vehicles to help keep the city’s roadsides clean.
A physical litter count was conducted before the program began and will be done again after the initiative to evaluate its value.
Community members volunteering for the program hope that it instils thoughts in people that others in the area are watching and will report sightings of litterbugs, which can incur a $200 on the spot fine for those caught littering.
Volunteers distributed posters about the litter blitz to shops, service stations and local libraries, along with the free postcards and vehicle garbage bags for individuals to utilise.
Residents on the street also received the litter blitz pack to raise awareness and promote responsible disposal of waste items.
New signs have been set up as a part of the program on Wollombi Road as well as the other focus area on Wine Country Drive, Pokolbin to promote awareness of littering and its consequences.