We understand the importance of maintaining our beautiful natural treasures. This is especially true for one of Australia's most iconic landmarks: Sydney Harbour.

Yet, an incident has highlighted a not-so-pleasant side of maintaining urban cleanliness and has sparked outrage among environmentally-conscious Aussies.

A startling footage captured at a car park in The Rocks, beside the iconic Sydney Harbour and Overseas Passenger Terminal, has revealed a seemingly negligent act.

In the video, a street cleaner was seen using a leaf blower, directing rubbish and plant debris straight into a stormwater drain.

A street cleaner was caught on video using a leaf blower to direct the rubbish to the stormwater drain. Credit: @seabin_project / Instagram

The video was filled with comments, with some saying they were against using leaf blowers as cleaning tools.

‘Leaf blowers are a modern-day scourge on society,’ one person wrote.

‘All they do is move rubbish around, not getting rid of anything. Not to mention the noise pollution.’

Others mentioned that the video showed a lack of understanding about where rubbish goes when thrown into the stormwater system.

‘I think there’s a lack of understanding from the general population around our water systems. And how the stormwater run-off works,’ they said.

‘How things don’t just “go away” in the drains, but it all goes to the closest water body where we all swim!’

The Seabin Project, an initiative committed to reducing marine pollution, shared the viral video.

They quickly denounced the cleaner's actions and called out the City of Sydney, proclaiming, 'This simply isn't acceptable.'

The responsibility for the area where the incident occurred lies with Place Management New South Wales (NSW), not the City of Sydney council.

The Place Management NSW has yet to respond with a statement regarding the issue.

You can watch the video below:

Credit: @seabin_project / Instagram​

This incident highlighted a more significant, disturbing trend contributing to pollution in Sydney Harbour.

A Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) study published last year found that 3500 cubic metres of litter were collected from the harbour annually.

‘This is the equivalent of 44,000 wheelie bins worth of litter in our water,’ it said.

The Seabin Project deploys 33 floating devices to filter out waste, including insidious microplastics, and catch larger debris like cans and bottles.

According to its website, these units have captured over 100 tonnes of marine litter in the harbour area between July 2020 and November 2022.

Key Takeaways

• Footage of a Sydney street cleaner disposing of rubbish into a drain at The Rocks sparked outrage from the public and the Seabin Project.
• The Seabin Project, which works to filter waste from Sydney Harbour, criticised the act, emphasising that it's unacceptable.
• The City of Sydney stated that the location falls under Place Management NSW's jurisdiction, not the council's.
• The Seabin Project's units have collected significant amounts of marine litter from the harbour, highlighting the issue of pollution in water bodies.

What are your thoughts on the street cleaner’s act? Let us know in the comments below!

 

[DLHM]

Lazy “cleaner”. Surely that can’t be the method of rubbish removal endorsed by the Place Management NSW.

 

[NotNats]

I often wonder why no one has invented a leaf vacuum/mulcher. So instead of blowing leaf matter into piles it vacuums and mulches into a bag which is then empty either into your green waste bin or your mulch bins.

 

[gamiry]

I often wonder why no one has invented a leaf vacuum/mulcher. So instead of blowing leaf matter into piles it vacuums and mulches into a bag which is then empty either into your green waste bin or your mulch bins.

makes too much sense. I've never understood why council workers blow leaves and rubbish from one place to another. I once asked a man why he didn't use a broom and he looked at me like I was a brainless idiot.

 

[falconxp]

I often wonder why no one has invented a leaf vacuum/mulcher. So instead of blowing leaf matter into piles it vacuums and mulches into a bag which is then empty either into your green waste bin or your mulch bins.

Already been done. They are everywhere but it is easier to just blow it away & be other peoples problem.

 

[Jennie]

I often wonder why no one has invented a leaf vacuum/mulcher. So instead of blowing leaf matter into piles it vacuums and mulches into a bag which is then empty either into your green waste bin or your mulch bins.

Why throw it away. We keep our garden beds mulched with pruning and leaves mulched, we have a 1600sq metre block so have extensive gardens and manage to keep 1/3 of it mulched with each litter.

 

[LeahI]

I often wonder why no one has invented a leaf vacuum/mulcher. So instead of blowing leaf matter into piles it vacuums and mulches into a bag which is then empty either into your green waste bin or your mulch bins.

Pretty sure there are these things around. But it's not often just leaf litter, there's rubbish in there too which would make mulching pretty difficult.

 

[Clancieblue]

People used to wash the rubbish down the gutters, now they blow it down. I saw a man mowing in front of the local high school and did exactly the same. So do people mowing their lawns, and then complain when the storm water backs up in heavy rain.

 

[Rob44]

Meanwhile we all drive CO2-producing cars to Sydney's waterfront. Ho hum. There are cars next to that gutter, aren't there?

 

[Kman]

My only question is..

What nationality is he.

 

[Rob44]

My only question is..

What nationality is he.

My guess is Australian. I recall back in 1983 during a science field-trip to outback Oz that the Australian coach-driver collected all our used lunch bags and assorted drinks waste, put it all in a cardboard box and stopped at a deserted spot to chuck it out into the gutter; he was stopped from doing that by the international contingent aboard the bus. And then having worked along main trunk roads in Oz there would be about 3 -4 pieces of litter, plastic cardboard and paper, metre on each side of the road. Drink cups, plastic straws, plastic bottles, cartons that once held Kentucky fried chuk-up etc. Australians are a grubby lot. As bad as SE Asia.