A quirky new awareness campaign featuring some of Australia’s most recognisable wildlife is confronting the harsh reality of litter in New South Wales—the rubbish that starts on our streets ends up in our rivers, waterways and oceans.
Launched on November 23, ‘Nature Hates a Tosser’ is the latest campaign from the NSW Government through the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), calling on everyone to take personal responsibility for their rubbish and help protect our state’s wildlife and waterways.
The campaign reminds people that littering even one small item, like a bottle cap, cigarette butt or food wrapper, can have devastating consequences for native animals and ecosystems.
“Every piece of rubbish has a destination, and too often it ends up in the stomach of a bird, a turtle or a fish,” said NSW EPA chief executive Tony Chappel.
“Littering is not a harmless act. It is one of the simplest forms of pollution we can all prevent. This campaign asks people to think twice, take ownership and make sure rubbish ends up in the bin, not in nature or in the stomachs of our wildlife.”
The Nature Hates a Tosser campaign is the first execution by 303 MullenLowe since being appointed by NSW EPA earlier this year as the result of a competitive pitch. Utilising its strong behaviour change expertise, the agency undertook extensive research to ensure its approach would engage the male target demographic aged 18-44.
It then worked closely with NSW EPA and the Litter Prevention Unit to deliver a campaign strategy, creative platform and communications architecture, while also executing all production.
303 MullenLowe Sydney’s chief strategy officer Jody Elston said by portraying furious birds and turtles confronting litterers, Nature Hates a Tosser and its “disruptive tonality” aimed to make people reconsider their act of littering as harmless, and understand the real harm it causes to wildlife and waterways.
“We know that anonymity increases people’s propensity to litter. Young men in particular are less likely to drop litter when people are around or they are closer to home, so we needed to shift from evoking social shame when people are watching, to personal shame in the moment. To ensure their emotional response would over-ride convenience led excuses,” she explained
“Our secondary research illuminated a famous psychological experiment whereby the presence of eyes simulates an authority figure watching and works to curb people’s negative behaviour even when alone. We leveraged this cognitive influence and showed nature’s angry eyes watching to bring the real impact on wildlife and waterways closer to the littering behaviour.”
The campaign’s research shows 95 per cent of beach litter comes from suburban streets washed into drains and waterways, up to 90 per cent of seabirds have eaten plastic, every sea turtle examined in a 2018 research study had ingested plastic particles, eating just one piece of plastic gives a turtle a one in five chance of dying and more than 100,000 marine mammals are killed by plastic every year.
The Nature Hates a Tosser campaign features wildlife including the magpie and the green sea turtle to demonstrate the impact of everyday litter on animals that call NSW home.
Running across summer, the campaign will reach people when littering behaviour spikes, as warmer weather and outdoor activities lead to more packaging waste and takeaway rubbish.
The campaign supports the NSW Government’s goal to reduce litter by 60 per cent by 2030 as part of its broader Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy.
Community groups, local councils and other government agencies will also be sharing the message, encouraging people to rethink their actions and keep their local environments clean.
Nature Hates a Tosser follows the EPA’s Don’t Be a Tosser campaign, which has helped drive significant reductions in litter across the state through education and awareness.
Credits:
EPA
Linda Kerman – Manager Communications and Marketing
Cat Khuat – Principal Marketing & Campaigns Advisor
Jess Tocker – Senior Marketing & Campaigns Advisor
Jeremy Hartcher – Senior Marketing & Campaigns Advisor
Rupert Saville – Manager Programs
303 MullenLowe Sydney
Joanna Gray – Chief Executive Officer
Bart Pawlak – Chief Creative Officer
Jody Elston – Chief Strategy Officer
Adam Whitehead – Creative Director
Tiara Lowndes – Creative Director
Ben Glasson – Client Service Director
Head of Production – Skye Lanser
Executive Broadcast Producer – Jackie Archer
Head of Design – Alby Furfaro
Production Partners
Mitch Green – Director
Rob Steele – Executive Producer, InMotion Films
Sonar Music – Music and Sound
