Stormwater Shepherds was invited to speak at the Keep Australia Beautiful Litter Congress, April 2022, held at the University of Technology, Sydney. We joined a host of speakers and recognized leaders from the field of litter management, as they explained new tools and techniques in the sector and highlighted innovative ideas – and we wholeheartedly support this year’s message of Less Litter, Live Better.
“With an emphasis on thoughtful and research-based methods of inquiry and with input from a range of sectors, the Litter Congress is the opportunity for individuals and groups involved in litter management, prevention and reduction to assemble to jointly tackle littering and behaviour change in an interactive environment” – Keep Australia Beautiful, NSW
Unmanaged Litter & Its Effects on Living Beings
Stormwater Shepherds’ Mary Rayner presented during this year’s Litter Congress, showing attendees some important insights into the impacts of untreated stormwater, and the ways it shapes the environment around us. The effects of stormwater, and the litter it contains, has many downstream effects on aquatic life form, which extend up the food chain to humans.
For the event, we prepared a Green Paper, and you can read the results of our deep dive into the current research and hot topics surrounding these issues below.
Stormwater Assets: Stopping Litter at the Source
An integral part of stormwater treatment is the collection of litter and the removal of gross pollutants. Gross pollutant traps, just one of the tools available for stormwater management, are commonly installed to catch stormwater pollution before it enters waterways. They play a significant role in stormwater management assets that help preserve and protect our waterways.
These assets require maintenance and are often unwittingly left off council asset management databases and maintenance schedules due to the lack of operational funding. Our latest webinar with Stormwater Shepherds’ Mary Rayner covers some of the issues councils face when funding stormwater and the ways these funding issues can be overcome with user-pays funding models. These models have been successfully implemented across the world and gaining momentum as the key funder to correct stormwater management. Our guest speaker Dr Victoria Kramkowski steps us through their award-winning adoption in her hometown of Mississauga, Canada.
