Litter in Australia can be found in many places and is a serious environmental problem, especially in large cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
With the founding of Keep Australia Beautiful in 1969, a movement against littering was born in Victoria. Its anti-littering campaigns, “Do the right things” and “Tidy towns”, became very well-known in Australia. Clean Up Australia is the largest organisation today, which organizes a national clean-up day.
Because the Constitution does not allow the federal government to legislate on this subject, there is no current national legislation against litter.
The responsibility for legislation is usually a State or territory of Australia (Environmental Protection Agency), or Local Government Areas. Every state and territory has legislation that prohibits littering. This may include fines that can be enforced by police officers or other agents. Some state environmental protection agencies do online litter reports.
Victoria
The Environment Protection Act (1970), and the Litter Act (1987) were the first laws in Victoria.
Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority was the first to allow online reporting of littering (based on vehicle registration data) and introduced the necessary legislation as well as fines.
Northern Territory
The Litter Act (1972) was adopted by the Northern Territory.
South Australia
The Container Deposit Legislation (1977), which was passed in South Australia, was designed to reduce litter and encourage recycling. It is the only state with this type legislation in Australia.
Western Australia
The Litter Act (1979) was an anti-litter law that was introduced in Western Australia.
Australian Capital Territory
Litter legislation was introduced in the Australian Capital Territory by the Litter Regulations (1993).
Queensland
The Environmental Protection Act (1994) was the first to establish litter laws in Queensland.
New South Wales
The Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 was the first legislation to be introduced in New South Wales.
Tasmania
The Litter Act 2007 was the first anti-litter law in Tasmania.
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