Number of litter items in Queensland

Key Finding

The first Australian Litter Measure audit in mid-2023 found Queensland’s average litter count was 122.7 litter items per 1,000m2. Waste fragments were the most prevalent type in Queensland (56.7 items per 1000 m2), followed by cigarettes and food-related waste.

A new method

The Australian Litter Measure (AusLM) provides a transparent, consistent and simple approach to measuring the extent of litter in the environment. The method was designed in collaboration with all Australian state and territory jurisdictions and is used in official litter monitoring programs.

The AusLM replaces the previous National Litter Index. Queensland used the new method for the first time in mid-2023.

Queensland

In mid-2023, the first audit assessed 729 transects across 158 litter sites in 16 Queensland local government areas.

The 2023/24 initial collection established a solid baseline for Queensland. It will enable comparisons and trends to be tracked in future and will provide data for key indicators measuring the efficacy of policies and programs.

Littered items with the highest prevalence per 1,000m² are:

Waste fragments: small fragments were the most common waste item (38.6), followed by medium fragments (12.7) and large fragments (5.4).
Cigarettes: cigarette butts and filters were the most common waste item (35.1), with relatively low amounts of waste from cigarette packets, lighters and matches (only 0.6) and vape related items (only 0.1).
Food-related items: confectionary and ice cream wrappers were most common (6.7), followed by food packaging (3.1) and paper tissues and napkins (1.4).

Littered items with moderate prevalence per 1,000m² are:

Household waste: non-food packaging was the most common waste item (1.8), followed by personal items and rope string/strapping bands (each 1.4). It is also noteworthy that shopper dockets / tickets were somewhat common (1.0).
Beverage items: lids were also far more common (3.3), than cups (0.5) or six pack rings (0.04).

Finally, littered items with low prevalence per 1,000m² are:

Commercial waste: construction materials were most common (1.4), followed by other commercial waste materials (0.3).
Beverage containers: non-alcohol beverage containers (0.8) were slightly more common than alcoholic beverage containers (0.5).

An estimate of the volume of each waste type was calculated based on the average item volumes and surveyor observations. Based on this estimated volume and the total area of transects sampled, the volumes per 1,000m² for these item categories are below.