Litter Prevention Summit
On March 31st, Divert NS hosted the Litter Prevention Summit. The goals of the event included: to share research findings from Divert NS’ two recent litter projects, understand key litter stakeholders’ perspectives on litter prevention, and determine strategic next steps for litter prevention in our province.
Attendees heard presentations on provincial and federal policies and initiatives that support litter reduction and received an overview of the Divert NS’ 2021 Roadside Litter Audit. Perspectives on litter prevention were also presented by representatives of environmental organizations, municipalities, and quick service restaurants. Key findings from Divert NS’ behavioural research project were shared by Davis Pier Consulting. The event wrapped up with an unveiling of Divert NS’ “Litter Stands Out” social media campaign. The development of this awareness campaign was based on some of the behavioural research findings.
This was Divert NS’ first hybrid summit, with approximately 50 key stakeholders attending in-person and 20 attendees joining online. Attendees included restaurant industry representatives, federal and provincial government staff, municipal waste management representatives, clean up groups, and environmental organizations. During the event, attendees had the opportunity to brainstorm potential focus areas, opportunities for interventions, and next steps to prevent litter within Nova Scotia.
The following presentations were delivered at the Summit:
- Provincial Regulatory Tools for Litter Reduction - Ashley David, NS Environment & Climate Change
- National Efforts that Support Litter Reduction - Sarah Da Silva, Environment & Climate Change Canada
- Behavioural Research on Littering in Nova Scotia - Eliza-Jane Stringer, Davis Pier Consulting
- Overview of Trashformers Program - Ally Chant, ACAP Cape Breton
- Industry Best Practices for Litter Prevention - Luc Erjavec, Restaurants Canada
- Municipal Litter Perspectives - Shannon Betts, Halifax Regional Municipality
Photos of the summit are available here. (Note: Photos are copyright Divert NS 2022. Please feel free to download and share photos, but credit Divert NS.)
Visit Litter Prevention to learn more.
