CITY OF RYDE FIRST TO COMMIT TO ZERO LITTER TO RIVER TARGET
The City of Ryde has become the first Council in Australia to adopt a 'Zero Litter to River' target by 2030.
The target was endorsed by Council at its meeting on Tuesday evening and will result in the implementation of a range of initiatives that will reduce litter and the flow of pollution into local waterways.
The adoption of the target means that by 2030, Council will implement initiatives to strive for zero discharge of gross pollutants into any waterway in the City of Ryde during a rainfall event.
Each year, at least eight million tonnes of plastic flow int o the ocean including from rivers, which is equivalent to dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute. Four -fifths of this plastic pollution comes from land -based sources flowing through drains and into local waterways and oceans via stormwater runoff.
City of Ryde Mayor, Clr Jerome Laxale, said committing to a Zero Litter to River target underscored the City of Ryde's commitment to reduce waste, protect the local environment and improve the quality of local waterways.
"A Zero Li tter to River target in the City of Ryde will prevent more than 1,500 tonnes of gross pollutants entering downstream waterways such as the Lane Cover River and Parramatta River," Clr Laxale said.
"It will also help us achieve our goal, with the assistance of the Parramatta River Catchment Group, to make the Parramatta River swimmable again. "
Achieving the target will involve the following principal actions.
● Identify a sustainable source of funding for the appropriate implementation and management of principal and supplementary actions ● Modification of selected existing stormwater treatment assets ● Installation of new stormwater treatment assets ● Continue to appropriately manage of new and existing stormwater treatment assets.
The City of Ryde will now develop a blueprint on how to achieve the target.
"Our waterways provide many benefits, including the air we breathe, climate regulation, food.
recreation, and amenities. However, the amount of plastic in our oceans and upstre am waterways is at crisis point and needs immediate action," added Clr Laxale.
