NSW Environmental Protection Agency NSW Government
 

2023-24 litter data for NSW

This report details the findings from the NSW Key Littered Items Study (KLIS) for 2023–24.

The report provides information on the composition of litter found in estuaries along the NSW coast. It details progress towards NSW litter reduction targets of a 30 per cent reduction in plastic litter by 2025, and a 60 per cent reduction in all litter by 2030.

The 2023-24 numbers in KLIS have increased from the very low levels of the previous year, nevertheless they remain part of an overall downward trend of items that were identified in the litter surveys. Following the wide fluctuations in annual data that were influenced by COVID-19 shutdowns and La Niña, the impacts of actions under the NSW Litter Prevention Strategy 2022-30 and NSW Plastics Action Plan have begun to emerge.

  1. In 2023-24, litter had fallen overall by 26% since the baseline years of 2018-2019:
    1. Plastic litter numbers show a gap opening up between plastic and non-plastic litter trends; plastic litter trends fell more steeply (33%) than the fall for all litter generally. This can be partly attributed to the impact of the single use plastic bans in late 2022.
    2. This is two years in a row that the 2025 plastic litter target has already been exceeded.
  2. The single use plastic bans under the NSW Plastics Action Plan came into effect in the second half of 2022. A reduction in single use plastic numbers, first observed in 2022-23, continued in 2023-24 and helps to explain overall plastic litter reductions:
    1. In 2022-23, the result for plastic litter overshot the target by a large margin, an impact that can be also attributed to La Niña and COVID-19 impacts, as noted above. The 2023-24 results continue to show a reduction in plastic litter against the baseline that is more in keeping with expected gradual progress to the litter targets.
    2. Banned single use plastic items showed a steeper decline in numbers compared to plastic litter generally – plastic straws fell by 75% since the baseline.

High-level findings

  • In 2023-24, the density of littered items increased by 50% since 2022–23 (from 94 items per 1000m2 in 2022-23, to 142 items per 1000m2 in 2023-24).
  • The volume of litter increased by 20% since 2022–23 (from 7.84 litres per 1000m2 in 2022-23, to 9.41 litres in 2023-24).
  • The density of plastic littered items increased by 50% since 2022-23 (from 71 items per 1000 m2 in 2022-23, to 107 items per 1000 m2 in 2023-24), however has reduced 33% overall since 2018.
  • The volume of plastic litter increased by 23% since 2022–23 (from 5.20 litres per 1000 m2 in 2022-23, to 6.39 litres per 1000m2 in 2023-24)
  • By category, takeaway and beverage items (28%) were the biggest contributor to litter density in NSW, followed by confectionary and snacks (23%).
  • By category, CDS eligible beverage containers (37%) are the biggest contributor to litter volume, followed by takeaway and beverage items (32%).
  • Confectionery wrappers and snack bags (20%) were found to be the most-littered item, followed by beverage container lids (8%).
  • By material, plastic items accounted for by far the largest share of total litter, by density (80%) and volume (67%).

Progress towards litter reduction targets

Baseline and targets

The Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041 and the NSW Plastics Action Plan have set two litter reduction targets for NSW. The baseline for these targets is the combined eight quarterly counts across 2018 and 2019 using the KLIS.

Progress towards targets

Target 1: 30% reduction in plastic litter items by 2025

In 2023–24, the number of plastic litter items per 1000 m2 decreased by 33% compared to the baseline years (2018–2019). This exceeds the 2025 plastic litter reduction target; however, litter data is inherently variable and any single year’s result should be interpreted with caution.

Target 2: 60% reduction in all litter items by 2030

In 2023–24, the number of all litter items per 1000 m2  had decreased by 26% since the baseline years (2018–2019). 

The chart below shows the trends in litter density for plastic litter and all litter since the baseline years. This shows the year-to-year dip in numbers by 22% in 2020-21, followed by a 61% increase in 2021-22. A second decrease of 51% in 2022-23, steeper than the first, coincides with the introduction of the single-use plastic bans in the second half of 2022. 

The 2023-24 increase of 50% is slightly more attenuated than the 2021-22 peak, and brings the figures back in line with a trend that reflects gradual progress to targets, albeit a larger decline than anticipated. 

In 2023-24, with two years having elapsed of the eight years set to achieve the 2030 target, almost half of the 60% reduction was already reached. Further fluctuations can be expected, but there is reason to be confident that NSW can achieve its litter prevention objectives.