Katoomba Area Local NewsStrengthening community, healing Country, and restoring the health of our planet.
Picking Up the Pieces: How a Small Group in Katoomba is Tackling Planetary Health
KTOWN’ers (L-R) Simon, Don & Adam, outside ‘the office’ Cassiopeia
In Katoomba, a grassroots litter-picking group tackles rubbish before it reaches our water supply. Their story shows how local environmental action, fueled by community connection, can drive meaningful change.
Key Points:
One man’s simple decision to pick up litter in Katoomba grew into a small community group, demonstrating how individual actions can spark broader movements.
The group observed that the NSW container deposit scheme reduced bottle and can litter by almost 50%, showing that the right incentives can effectively change people’s disposal habits.
The Katoomba group exemplifies how local communities can take ownership of environmental challenges, with their work protecting both local ecosystems and broader water systems while building social connections.
On a wet afternoon in the Blue Mountains, rainwater surges down Katoomba’s streets, carrying scraps of plastic, takeaway cups, and stray fragments of paper. Left unchecked, the torrent would sweep through Katoomba Falls, down the Jamison Valley, and ultimately into Warragamba Dam—Sydney’s main water supply.
But on this day, the flood of waste is interrupted by a small act of care. A man in a “KTOWN” shirt crouches by the curb, pulling rubbish from the gutter with a pair of barbecue tongs. What he collects may seem insignificant—half a bag of plastic, a handful of cans—but each piece is one less hazard for wildlife, one less pollutant in the water system.
This is Katoomba’s ‘KTOWN’ litter-picking group – Katoombans Taking On Waste Now – a small, grassroots effort with an outsized impact.
A personal journey
Lookout litter spoiling the view
The group’s origins are humble. Simon Day, a long-time bushwalker and Bushcare volunteer, moved to Katoomba in 2019, drawn by the pristine escarpments and World Heritage wilderness.
“I thought the litter problem would be less here than in Sydney,” he admits. “But it turns out rubbish is a universal phenomenon.”
His solution was simple: pick it up. With nothing more than a reusable bag and a pair of gloves, he began clearing litter from local tracks and streets. Soon after, fellow resident Don noticed him while walking his dog and struck up a conversation. Over a coffee with Don, Adam joined, and the Katoomba litter-picking group was born.
“It shows how one small action can spark a movement,” he says.
The practice of picking
The group’s “tool kit” is hardly high-tech—bags, gloves, and $10 grabbers from the hardware store. But the rewards are immediate.
“After just half an hour, you look down at the bag and realise how much has been stopped from going into the creek,” Simon reflects. “It’s a small effort, but it makes a big difference.”
Litter collected near the Hydro Majestic Hotel in Medlow Bath
Their work focuses on “hot spots”: the heavily trafficked escarpment walks near Scenic World and Echo Point, rest areas along the highway, and picnic grounds such as Maple Grove, where rubbish piles up alarmingly fast.
The practice isn’t just about beautification. It’s about prevention. Each piece removed before the next rainstorm means fewer pollutants in creeks, valleys, and ultimately in Sydney’s drinking water.
Camaraderie and coffee
While the picking itself is important, the group has also discovered the quiet joy of camaraderie. They often meet at Cassiopeia Café in Katoomba, a cosy local spot where maps are spread out and decisions made about which “hot spots” to tackle that day. After a session of litter-picking, the group reconvenes at the café to debrief, swap stories, and share the small triumphs of the morning.
“It gives us a sense of belonging,” says Simon. “You’re not just cleaning up—you’re part of a little community that cares about this place.”
In that ritual of coffee, conversation, and connection, the work becomes more than environmental action. It becomes a social bond that sustains the effort.
Simon’s ‘litter diary’. Note the $5,356 made from recycling drink containers through the Return and Earn scheme since 2014
“The frustrating part is that so much of this is preventable,” says Simon. “It’s not just about the plastic itself. It’s about behaviour—someone had it in their hand, and they let it go.”
The group documents what they see, submitting photos and reports through the Council’s customer service system.
A dumped couch and TV, reported to Council for removal
Changing behaviour
The pickers are clear: real change will only come from shifting behaviour. And small incentives can help.
Since the introduction of the NSW container deposit scheme, they’ve observed almost a 50% reduction in bottles and cans littering local streets. “As soon as there was a monetary value attached, people stopped throwing them away. That shows what’s possible.”
But the group also believes in leading by example. Wearing their “K-Town” shirts while they work often sparks conversations with locals and visitors alike.
“People come up to us and say, ‘That’s a great idea,’” Simon explains. “It raises awareness just by being visible.”
Bags of litter collected at a highway rest area in Katoomba
Beyond blame
It’s tempting to blame tourists for litter in the Blue Mountains, but the group’s experience suggests otherwise.
“Locals are just as responsible,” one says. “You see homeowners who don’t clear the gutter outside their house, or businesses who ignore the rubbish on their footpath. If we want visitors to respect this landscape, we have to show that we respect it ourselves.”
This ethos links directly to planetary health, the emerging field that connects human wellbeing with the health of natural systems. By keeping streets and creeks clean, the group isn’t just protecting wildlife—they’re safeguarding water quality, reducing plastic pollution, and fostering community pride.
Grassroots action for planetary health
Globally, efforts to tackle plastic pollution often stall at the policy level. The recent international plastics summit ended without consensus, despite the urgency of the problem. But grassroots action tells a different story.
“Rather than waiting for a top-down solution, we have to do something ourselves,” says Simon. “Change has to come from the ground up.”
This philosophy is echoed by planetary health advocates worldwide: local actions can scale into systemic change. Councils are the closest level of government to communities, and when residents and local authorities collaborate, they can build momentum that eventually reaches higher levels of governance.
Vehicle crash debris on Katoomba Street, headed for our waterways
A fragile hope
The work is never finished. Within a week of clearing a site, new rubbish appears. But persistence is part of the point.
“It’s easy to imagine a dystopian future, like the film WALL·E, where we drown in our own waste,” says Simon. “But it’s just as possible to imagine a future where communities take ownership of their environment. Where every creek, every street, is valued as part of a living system.”
In Katoomba, that future is already taking shape—one bag of rubbish at a time, often with a cup of coffee waiting at Cassiopeia afterwards.
Planetary health, piece by piece
The litter-pickers of Katoomba don’t see themselves as heroes. They see themselves as neighbours, custodians, and ordinary people doing what needs to be done.
But in their persistence lies a profound lesson for planetary health: global challenges can be tackled from the ground up. Each act of care ripples outward—into the waterways, into the community, into the wider world.
The story of Katoomba’s litter-picking group is not about perfection. It is about participation. And it reminds us that protecting the planet doesn’t always start in parliaments or at summits. Sometimes, it starts with a pair of tongs, a reusable bag, and the decision to bend down and pick something up.
Simon Day, anti-litter hero and founder of KTOWN
Start your own litter picking group:
Start small – All you need is a bag, gloves, and a pair of tongs or grabbers. Even 30 minutes of collecting makes a difference.
Pick a patch – Focus on local “hot spots” where rubbish gathers—creeks, parks, rest areas, or streets with heavy foot traffic.
Be visible – Wear a simple shirt or badge so people know what you’re doing. Visibility sparks conversations and inspires others. Check out Katoomba T-Shirts who make custom designs.
Meet regularly – Choose a café or community spot to gather before and after picking. Sharing the experience builds camaraderie and keeps motivation high.
Record and report – Take photos, track what you collect, and report bigger issues (broken bins, unsafe sites) to your local council.
Celebrate the wins – Every bag of rubbish removed is a small victory—for your community, your waterways, and planetary health.
Yesterday we launched the Upper Mountains Seed Saving and Gardening Group at the Planetary Health Centre. It`s the perfect time to get planting so we shared locally acclimatised seeds for a variety of beans (they don`t cross-pollinate so you can plant as many varieties as you can fit in!), round yellow zucchinis, Japanese pumpkins and Roi de Carouby peas. Seeds are arguably one of the best return on investments you can make in your life. Plant one tiny celery seed and when that plant goes to seed you can harvest thousands to replant and to sprout and add to your salads. We`ll be meeting on the first Saturday of every month as part of Skill Share Saturdays at the Planetary Health Centre. Our next meeting will be Saturday 6 Dec. Register here if you`d like to attend (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-upper-mountains-seed-saving-and-gardening-group?
The KTOWN pickers - Katoombans Taking On Waste Now - are clearing litter from local tracks and streets and stopping it from entering our waterways and eventually our water supply. Read more in Katoomba Area Local News (link in profile): https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/ktown-katoombans-taking-on-waste-now/
This Saturday will be the first meeting of the Upper Mountains Seed Saving and Gardening Group at the Planetary Health Centre, starting at 10am. Register your interest here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3LalNFy
It will be followed by the Planetary Health Bushcare group at 1.30pm. Register your interest here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/49k8PPo
Global poisoning by a tsunami of toxins that are flooding the planet is fast becoming the biggest threat to life on earth. Extreme weather events like fire and flood accelerate this chemical pollution. To address this the Planetary Health Centre`s Full Cycle 2025 conference from 20-22 Nov is bringing together leading experts in managing extreme weather events as well as those who are working on reducing the risk of hazardous materials like asbestos and PFAS. According to keynote speaker Julian Cribb:
"The poisoning of our planet through human chemical emissions is arguably the largest human impact of all upon the Earth. In volume, it is four to five times greater than our climate emissions (which are a part of it), and three times more lethal than the estimated climate death-toll. It is the mega-threat least understood by society, monitored by science or regulated by government. It has mainly occurred over the last 50 years, due to a massive global surge in chemical use and materials extraction.
Scientific assessment has identified more than 350,000 man-made chemicals. The US Department of Health estimates 2000 new chemicals go on the market every year and the Smithsonian says 1000 new compounds are now being synthesised every hour. The UN Environment Program warns about a third of these “are persistent, able to accumulate in humans and animals and are toxic”.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 13.7 million people — one in every four — die each year from diseases caused by “air, water and soil pollution, chemical exposures, climate change and ultraviolet radiation”, caused by human activity.
Human chemical emissions are thus responsible for the largest mass killing in history.
Learn more and register for the conference here (link in profile): www.fullcycleconference.com.au
There will be a free community expo on Saturday 22 November at the Planetary Health Centre in Katoomba.
Conference volunteers receive free registration. Email [email protected] if you’d like to volunteer at this critically important event.
T`ai-chi and Qigong routines can increase mobility and strength, improve immunity and help build an inner calm. To get the greatest health impact you need to practice them on a regular basis, so we`re thrilled to now be offering a 6-week block of classes to take you into summer starting 9am this Saturday 1 November and running until Sat 6 December. Bookings essential here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4qrw4Nx This Saturday, 1 November, the activity is also the first in a full day of Skill Share activities at the Centre that includes Seed Saving and Gardening from 10am, and Planetary Health Bushcare from 1.30pm. You can book in for Bushcare here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/49k8PPo Contact Lis on 0407 437 553 for more information.
Rotarians 4 Planetary Health will be meeting again at the Planetary Health Centre at 6pm on Monday 27 October. Register at this link if you`d like to attend! (link in profile) https://events.humanitix.com/rotarians-4-planetary-health-l7bb4qhr?
Thank you to everyone who popped by for the @ediblegardentrailbluemountains today! It was a great day discussing gardens, ponds, frogs, seeds, composting seats, wicking beds and how to restore the hydrological cycle! Next Saturday will be our Skill Share Saturday. We`ll be kickstarting a 6-week block of Tai Chi & Qigong at 9am, launching our Seed Saving and Gardening Group at 10am and running our monthly Bushcare Group at 1.30pm. You can book in for Tai Chi here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/tai-chi-and-qigong-six-week-block-spring-2025-qaw2ts2v and to Bushcare here (link also in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/planetary-health-bushcare-spring-summer-2025
The Planetary Health Centre is on the Edible Garden Trail today! Last week we launched the Upper Mountains Seed Savers and Gardening Group. Come along to learn more, enjoy a coffee in our garden, and pick up a free Vegetable and Flower Sowing Guide. We`re open from 10am. You can find us at 33-39 Acacia St Katoomba. Tickets for the Edible Garden Trail available here (link in profile): https://events.humanitix.com/blue-mountains-edible-garden-trail-2025
The Planetary Health newsletter is now out. Read about three days of innovation at the upcoming Full Cycle Conference in Nov, the Edible Garden Trail this weekend, and a six week block of Tai Chi and Qigong classes at the Planetary Health Centre (link in profile): https://bit.ly/47jbFBz
Today is an Extreme Bushfire Danger Day! Have you heard about the extraordinary fire resistant paint developed by Professor Yeoh and his team at UNSW? Professor Yeoh will be presenting at our Full Cycle Conference on Thurs 20 November. He is world renowned in the field of fire safety and his innovations are helping to keep people and property safe. Importantly among these innovations has been the development and commercialisation of FSA FIRECOAT paint (sold at Bunnings), which creates a protective insulating ‘char’ on a building when it’s exposed to flames. It is water based and non toxic. Watch it in action in this video (link in profile): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkA1RlxMjWQ
Join us at the Conference to learn more about Professor Yeoh’s work during three days of innovation and exploration in which leading speakers from around Australia will share how we can reduce the risks of natural hazards and hazardous materials. Places are limited so register here now (link in profile): https://www.fullcycleconference.com.au/
With new modelling suggesting a hot summer with increasing fire risk it`s worth making time now to learn more about how we can reduce the risk of disaster by registering to attend the Full Cycle Conference that`s bringing together the Bushfire Building and Asbestos & Hazardous Materials Management Conferences in Katoomba on 20-22nd Nov. Group discounts apply if you register now here (link in profile): www.fullcycleconference.com.au
• Emma Whale from the NSW Reconstruction Authority will discuss how state-wide and place-based disaster adaptation planning is helping reduce risk;
• David Sanderson, the inaugural Judith Neilson Chair in Architecture at UNSW, will share the results of a landmark enquiry on how our response to disasters requires a change in housing policy and local government empowerment;
• Owen Price, Director of The Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires at UOW will compare the patterns of housing loss in the NSW and Californian wildfires;
• Guan Heng Yeoh from UNSW will share how he developed the award winning FIRECOAT fire resistant paint;
• Everson Kandare from RMIT University will discuss the development of fireproof cladding made from molasses-cultured mycelium - a fungal biomass;
• Alan Green from the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre UOW will introduce Heatwave and Multi-Hazard Resilience Star Rating Tools for retrofitting houses;
• Emma Bacon from Sweltering Cities and Dr Kim Loo from Doctors for the Environment will discuss heat waves and social justice;
• Andrew Bovis from Integrated Water Solutions will discuss the potential use of treated blackwater as an independent water source for landscape hydration and fire fighting;
• Sara Jane Wilkinson from UTS will launch the Bushfire Retrofitting Toolkit for older Australians and do a session on green roofs and walls to reduce disaster risk and increase biodiversity;
• Melissa Knothe Tate will discuss research on tackling PFAS contamination;
Thank you to everyone who participated in our inaugural Blue Mountains Food Security Fair today. It was an inspiring and thought provoking day with lots learnt, many connections made, amazing food consumed and stunning weather! We look forward to doing it again next year!
As challenges mount globally there is one group of community builders who, for 120 years now, have been strengthening the world’s social fabric and addressing ways civil society can help alleviate suffering and inequality; improve people’s quality of life; and create a more peaceful, healthier planet.
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