Byron Shire Council celebrates reduction in butts!

Published on 16 June 2023

Council has been awarded a Keep Australia Beautiful Tidy Towns Award, in the Litter Prevention Category, for the Butt Free Byron Shire campaign. Key achievements from this campaign included a 72% reduction in cigarette butts, and a 40% reduction in litter volume in the Byron Shire. 

Zoe White, Council’s Resource Recovery Education and Compliance Officer, said that she was very proud of the award win, but most importantly she is celebrating the reduction in butts and litter. 

“The project focussed on visitor education, business engagement and an increase in litter enforcement to help reduce litter during the peak holiday periods,” Ms White said. 

“We also expanded the area where enforcement officers monitor the smoking ban on Byron’s beaches which helped to reduce cigarette butt litter.

“As part of the project an educational video was developed. It gave us an opportunity to showcase the incredible natural environment that visitors have come to enjoy and importantly, teach them how they can help to protect it during their stay.

“I’d really like to thank our project partners, the local community including local businesses, as well as visitors for getting involved in the campaign and helping us reduce litter,” she said.

If you are a local business that is interested in helping us continue to spread the litter-reduction message, you can view the educational video on Council’s website or email Zoe White at [email protected] for a copy.  

Council has been continuing to tackle litter in the shire with new projects like Bring it Back Bruns and Source to Sea.