Unveiled on World Environment Day in 2025, the toolkit was developed in partnership with Shannon Behaviour Change and BehaviourWorks Australia to address a critical gap in public understanding: the direct pathway between everyday urban littering and the pollution that harms our creeks, rivers and ultimately, Birrarung.

The toolkit provides a suite of ready-to-use behaviour change resources, that can be easily adopted by councils, community groups and litter advocacy organisations.

These include:

• universal messaging
• decals
• signage
• campaign assets.

These materials are designed to shift everyday habits and build a culture of care for our waterways.

Nillumbik Shire Council is already leading the way as an early adopter, installing bin and pavement decals across four high-traffic locations. By combining this messaging with solar-powered bin infrastructure, the council is demonstrating how simple, strategic interventions can meaningfully reduce litter and support the health of local waterways.

To help more groups put the toolkit into action, Melbourne Water is offering funds of up to $5,000 to support the printing, installation or advertising of toolkit assets within local communities.