The Clean Up that changed Australia | Clean Up Australia’s Pip Kiernan

What started as one person refusing to look away has become one of Australia’s most enduring community movements.

Kiarne Treacy sits down with Pip Kiernan, Chair of Clean Up Australia, to reflect on the legacy of a movement that has mobilised 23 million Australians over 35 years… and why the work is far from done.

Pip shares the origin story behind Clean Up Australia, sparked when her father Ian Kiernan encountered severe plastic pollution in the Sargasso Sea and returned home determined to act. After being formally told a community clean-up of Sydney Harbour “couldn’t be done”, he did it anyway. Gathering 40,000 volunteers even before social media existed.

The conversation explores how litter has changed over time, what waste tells us about our consumption habits and why prevention is the next frontier. From cigarette butts and vapes to packaging design and regulation, Pip unpacks the systems that keep waste circulating, and what it will take to finally break the cycle.

You’ll hear and learn:

• How Clean Up Australia began
• What 23 million volunteers reveal about Australia’s relationship with waste
• How regulation has reduced items like plastic straws, and what remains the most common litter item today
• What the growing environmental problems really are in rubbish
• How clean-ups change behaviour long after the rubbish is gone
• Why waste prevention and product design matter more than end-of-life fixes
• Pip’s advice for anyone worried about an issue but unsure where to start

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in how community action becomes national impact… and what 35 years of clean ups reveal about waste, behaviour and systems change in Australia.

MENTIONS:

• Clean Up Australia
• Clean Up Australia Day
• Clean Up Australia’s Annual Litter Report
• Clean Up Australia’s Waste Challenges

LINKS:

Learn more about SustainabilityTracker.com

Learn more about The Sustainable Transformation Podcast

Follow The Sustainable Choice Group on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok

Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind-the-scenes content – @novapodcastsofficial

CREDITS:

Host: Kiarne Treacy

Guest: Pip Kiernan

Guest Company: Clean Up Australia

Find more great podcasts like this at novapodcasts.com.au

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