Brand Highway drivers targeted at litter hotspots to keep WA beautiful

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Motorists who litter along the Brand Highway are the target of a new campaign to reduce rubbish on roadsides and change long-term litter behaviour to keep the environment clean.

Nationals WA Member of Parliament and candidate for the seat of Geraldton, Paul Brown MP said the State Government had launched the Regional Roadside Litter Prevention Project along three litter hot spots – the Brand Highway, the Great Eastern Highway and the Forrest Highway.

Roadhouses on the Brand Highway that have committed to be a part of the trial are:  

  • Gingers Roadhouse Upper Swan
  • Caltex Cataby
  • Liberty Cataby
  • BP Dongara
  • Puma Tarcoola Geraldton
  • Gull 440 Geraldton

The project is supported by the Keep Australia Beautiful Council (WA) and Main Roads WA, and will run until the end of December.

The project is centred on the “WA Naturally Thanks You” message and will encourage people to do the right thing with their rubbish by promoting a sense of personal responsibility.

As part of the project, informative signage will appear on the roadside and at rest stop bins along the Brand Highway. Complimentary litter bags will also be available at these six roadhouses. The Keep Australia Beautiful Council will also survey drivers at the roadhouses on their reactions to littering.

Based on the results of this trial, the State Government will consider extending the project to other areas of high littering in Western Australia.

Key messages

  • The State Government is committed to reducing the volume and types of litter in Western Australia.
  • Western Australia needs to reduce its rate of littering to prevent harm to the environment and wildlife. Litter looks unsightly, attracts vermin and damages our waterways.
  • The $185,000 Regional Roadside Litter Prevention Project will help reduce litter where it is most prominent along three of our main highways.
  • The trial sites are along the Brand Highway, the Great Eastern Highway from Perth to Merredin, and the Forrest Highway.  
  • The four month trial is centred on the message “WA Naturally Thanks You” to encourage people to do the right thing with their rubbish by promoting a sense of personal responsibility. 
  • The trial includes roadhouses distributing litter bags to drivers. Printed on each bag is a link to a website and an educational quiz about littering issues and correct disposal of rubbish.  
  • The Keep Australia Beautiful Council will survey drivers at the participating roadhouses to get their response to the project.  
  • Based on the results of this trial, the State Government will consider extending the project to other areas of high littering in Western Australia.  
  • The State Government will introduce a container deposit scheme in 2018 to further reduce littering of drink containers in our community.

Everyone is capable of making a difference and I’m confident thanking people in advance for doing the right thing will help change the habit of roadside littering.

Along with a container deposit scheme for Western Australia in 2018, we can make a big difference

Results from the 2015–16 National Litter Index confirmed that roadsides continue to attract high volumes of litter and are the source of most of the litter found in Western Australia.