Living Here
Schools take the next LEAP in preventing litter flowing to our waterways
Ten schools across Gladstone, Agnes Water and Boyne Tannum are currently participating in the Litter Education and Awareness Project (LEAP) facilitated by Gladstone Regional Council.
The LEAP Program provides opportunities for students to learn about stormwater pollution, environmental conservation, litter source reduction and to create awareness of what kind of waste is entering our region’s waterways.
Gladstone Region Councillor Desley O’Grady said the first step of the LEAP was to install drain buddies in the participating schools.
“A drain buddy is a heavy-duty basket designed to collect matter that would normally wash down the drains and into waterways,” Councillor Desley O’Grady said.
“The installation of these drain buddies in our 10 participating schools was completed prior to the end of May.”
Participating schools are:
- Toolooa State High School
- Chanel College
- Kin Kora State School
- Clinton State School
- Gladstone State High School
- Gladstone West State School
- St John’s Catholic Primary School
- Boyne Island State School
- Tannum Sands State School
- Agnes Water State School.
Cr O’Grady said data collected from the program will be used to support ongoing litter monitoring and reduction campaigns.
“Data from the project will be uploaded to the Australian Marine Debris Database, making it available for researchers and litter reduction organisations,” Cr O’Grady said.
“In Term 4 of 2021 and Term 2 of 2022, litter sorting and educational events will be held at the participating schools, providing students with the opportunity to see the captured litter first-hand, and discuss and why it came to be there.”
Please visit www.gladstone.qld.gov.au/environment for more information about conservation programs and initiatives.
The Litter Education & Awareness Project (LEAP) has been developed in response to an alleged contravention of the Environment Protection Act 1994, relating to extraction of material above that of Council’s prescribed licensing, across some Council managed pits.
Upon discovery, Gladstone Regional Council notified the Department of Environment and Science (DES). Following a formal investigation, an Enforceable Undertaking was entered by Council and the Department, through which the Council committed to undertake the LEAP project.
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