Picking Up the Pieces: How a Small Group in Katoomba is Tackling Planetary Health

the ktown litter group

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

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.
  • Contact Simon for more ideas on 0478 455 528

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