Nature still hates a tosser – and this time it’s ropable.  Agency, 303, and the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) are continuing to drum the message into Australians’ heads that littering has consequences.

The second edition of Nature Hates a Tosser introduces an Eastern Blue Groper voiced by Australian actor, Bryan Brown, surrounded by the litter that makes its way to the State’s waterways every day. The cranky Blue Groper gives a voice to the unseen impact of littering, reflecting the reality that for every piece of litter seen on land in NSW, more can be found in its waterways.

303 Sydney chief creative officer, Bart Pawlak, commented, “Blue Gropers are synonymous with New South Wales. They’re recognisable and a little love-able, making them ideally suited as ambassadors for our waterways. The ropable groper delivers an important behaviour change message at a time when people are getting ready to throw on the togs and start enjoying summer. And in the hands of none other than Bryan Brown, he does it with a level of laid-back authority that’s easy to accept. Besides, with David Field voicing the original angry magpie on land, we couldn’t resist bringing the band back together for a great cause.”

The new campaign covers cinema, TV, OLV, BVOD, online, social, OOH, and radio.

303 Sydney chief strategy officer Jody Elston, stated, “For many litterers, tossing away what they perceive as minor pieces of rubbish feels small, isolated and momentary. Once it leaves their hand, it’s effectively gone. But litter doesn’t disappear. It travels, accumulates, and ultimately ends up in our waterways, out of sight, and out of mind. This creates a critical behavioural disconnect: If people can’t see the consequences, they don’t feel responsible for it.  That’s why this latest campaign follows the littering journey from being tossed onto a suburban street, to being washed down the gutter and into our waterways, to be confronted by an exasperated Groper swimming in a litter-created mess.  Because what feels like one small act on land becomes something much bigger underwater.”

EPA CEO, Nancy Chang, added, “Pollution often starts with litter dropped on streets, parks and beaches, before being washed through drains, rivers and waterways into the ocean.  Once there, it can entangle wildlife, be mistaken for food, or break into harmful microplastics that spread throughout the food chain. That’s why the NSW Government is bringing back its award-winning Tosser campaign for another summer – the season when littering is at its highest.  The campaign encourages people to take simple actions like binning their rubbish or bringing it with them, to help protect iconic species like our NSW state fish.”

Here is where the platform began: