Georges Riverkeeper removes 110 tonnes of litter from local waterways in 2024/2025
Georges Riverkeeper has released its 2024/2025 results, showing 110,521 kilograms of rubbish collected across Bayside, Canterbury‑Bankstown, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Sutherland and NPWS sites. That is the equivalent of more than a dozen fully loaded garbage trucks’ worth of rubbish prevented from entering local waterways and a record in recent years. A total of 6,998 bags of litter were removed during 18,308 on‑ground work hours, highlighting the scale of effort and investment in cleaner rivers and foreshores.
Georges Riverkeeper Program Manager, Nell Graham, says: "This result is a standout achievement, marking the highest amount of litter removed in recent years, but it is also an unwelcome statistic because it highlights the sheer scale of the pollution problem and shows that the amount of litter in the environment is not decreasing despite education, enforcement and infrastructure initiatives."
Graham says, "Our teams see first‑hand how discarded plastics and other waste can entangle birds and fish, introduce toxins into the food chain, and smother the river’s most sensitive habitats. Every kilo of litter we remove, and every piece we stop from entering the water in the first place, is a direct investment in the health of our waterways, the wildlife that depend on them, and the wellbeing of our community."
Liverpool recorded the highest overall litter load, with 41,458 kilograms collected over 196 days and 4,280 work hours, followed by Campbelltown with 15,962 kilograms and Canterbury‑Bankstown with 7,808 kilograms. Sutherland sites contributed 7,636 kilograms of rubbish, while Fairfield and Georges River LGAs recorded 26,354 kilograms and 5,415 kilograms respectively, reflecting sustained action across the Georges River catchment. Bayside and NPWS sites accounted for a further 4,375 and 1,514 kilograms, demonstrating that every local council in the Georges River catchment is playing a role in reducing the amount of litter entering local waterways.
In 2024/2025, teams from NSW Corrective Services under the directive of Georges Riverkeeper spent the equivalent of more than 18,000 hours on site across 280 locations. Liverpool, Campbelltown and Fairfield saw the highest deployment, with a combined 542 allocated days and more than 11,000 hours on‑ground, reflecting targeted activity in catchment “hot spots” identified through council and community monitoring.
Georges Riverkeeper urges people to take litter personally. Graham says: “If it’s dropped, it doesn’t disappear, it ends up in our rivers. From streets to streams, it all flows downstream. Take your rubbish with you, pick up litter you see, secure loose items and choose plastic-free options to help protect our waterways.”
Read more about the positive impact Georges Riverkeeper has had this past year here.
