Home topics news Via Clean Up Australia News News Clean Up Australia launches business push as litter crisis deepens across nation Yajush Gupta January 21, 2026 Australian businesses have just six weeks to register for Business Clean Up Day. It’s practical team building that strengthens communities. Here’s what you need to know. Litter in Australia’s streets, parks, bushlands, and waterways continues to escalate. Over 23 million volunteers have stepped up and donated their time since Clean Up Australia’s inception, and the pace of participation keeps accelerating. In 2025 alone, over 800,000 people volunteered across 8,000 events nationally during the Clean Up Australia Day campaign period. Yet the challenge persists. Pip Kiernan, Chair of Clean Up Australia, states that “our nation’s litter disposal and recycling challenges are continuously shifting but the one thing we know for certain is that too much litter is still making its way into our streets, parks, bushlands and waterways”. The problem isn’t abstract. Volunteers now regularly encounter emerging litter types: vapes, nitrous oxide bulbs, and discarded face masks. Alongside traditional waste, this real-time data from Clean Up efforts reveals shifting environmental threats that surveys alone cannot capture. For Australian businesses, the challenge presents an opportunity. Clean Up Australia has specifically designed Business Clean Up Day to give organisations a tangible platform for environmental action. From Compliance to Genuine Action Across Australian boardrooms, sustainability has moved from optional to central. With mandatory climate-related financial disclosures well underway, more organisations are moving beyond preparation to actively embedding sustainability