Zero Litter

Z E R O litter

Local primary students from Wattle Grove Public School are taking their anti-littering messages to the street as part of the ‘Zero Litter in Georges River’ program developed by Georges Riverkeeper with support from Council and funding from the Australian Government.

The program aims to provide environmental education, aligned to the NSW curriculum, about stormwater pollution, and encourages students to look for solutions to reduce litter flowing to the Georges River.

As part of the project, students from Wattle Grove Public School created designs for artworks to be painted on local footpaths near storm drains as well as a campaign video educating the community on the importance of anti-littering.

Mayor Ned Mannoun said, “It’s fantastic to see our future generation of Liverpool residents voicing their opinions on issues that they believe in.

“We are delighted to be a part of this project and ensure the future children of Liverpool will continue to enjoy our parks, streets, and waterways for many years to come. Well done to the participating students from Wattle Grove Public School for helping to make Liverpool a better place to live, visit and work.”

The street art developed for the campaign features the innovative use of augmented reality technology which allows passers-by to scan a QR code to interact with a virtual long-neck turtle called ‘Zero’, one of the native animals found in the river that is threatened by pollution. Georges Riverkeeper Program Manager Scott Reyes said, “Most of the pollution in the Georges River flows there through a network of connected stormwater pits and pipes, so we need to stop waste, litter and pollution from ending up in street and carpark gutters and drains.”

‘Zero Litter in Georges River’ lessons were developed in collaboration with Georges River Environment Education Centre and are available for any school to access for free via the project website: zerolitter.georgesriver.org.au

The colourful street art in Liverpool can be seen outside Wattle Grove Public School, near the playground at Wattle Grove Lake and at Harris Creek Reserve.