Introduction
Clean Up Australia Limited ACN 003 884 991 (“CUA“, “we” or “us“) is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to inspire and mobilise communities to improve and conserve our environment, eliminate litter and end waste. This Privacy Policy outlines the practices employed by CUA with respect to personal information collected from Stakeholders (“you“).
CUA respects and seeks to preserve the privacy of individuals by complying with the requirements set out in the Privacy Act. This Privacy Policy will help you understand how CUA collects, uses and safeguards your personal information and ensures transparency, accountability, and trust in how we handle and safeguard your Personal Information.
If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, or are not authorised to do so, please do not use the Site or App, create an Account, or participate in our Events which require Registration. This Privacy Policy is not intended for use by Minors without the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian. If you are a Minor, you should review this Privacy Policy with your parent or guardian to ensure you understand it.
Definitions
“Account” means a personal online profile created by a User through the Site. The Account enables a User to register or join a Clean Up event on the Site, as well as access certain functions available on the Site such as making purchases, submitting donations, tracking orders, or managing preferences.
“App” means CUA’s Clean Up Cam App, accessed through a web browser (like Safari or Chrome) and is designed to work on mobile devices.
“Cookies” means technologies used to enhance user experience and monitor site usage, including small text files stored on Users’ devices and software applications embedded within webpages.
“Event“ means any event created for the purpose of supporting environmental initiatives such as clean ups or raising funds or to support the charitable purpose of CUA.
“Event Supervisors” means the Event Volunteers responsible for the planning, coordination and delivery of an Event.
“Event Participants” means individuals who attend, take part in, or are otherwise involved in an event, whether in-person or virtually.
“Event Volunteers” means individuals who offer their time, skills, or services on a voluntary basis to support the planning, coordination, or delivery of an Event and includes the Event Supervisors.
“Minors” means children under the age of 16 years old.
“Personal Information“ has the meaning given to it in the Privacy Act.
“Privacy Act“ means the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
“Registration” means the process by which an individual provides their Personal Information to sign up to, or express interest in, participating in or running an Event as an Event Participant or Event Volunteer.
“Security Measures” means procedures and protocols implemented to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and privacy of stakeholders Personal Information including encryption, access controls, secure storage, network security, regular security audits, intrusion detection systems, and incident response plans.
“Site“ means www.cleanup.org.au.
“Stakeholders” means Users, Event Participants and Event Volunteers.
“Users” means individuals who browse and otherwise use our Site and App.
Anonymous interaction
At times, you may interact with CUA anonymously, for example when making general enquiries over the phone. However, in some circumstances we are required by law, or it would be impracticable, to deal with you anonymously. These circumstances include (but are not limited to) when you register for an account on our Site, attend an Event, purchase products from our online store, make donations to us, ask us to contact you using details provided through Registration or your Account, or when you submit a request, enquiry, or complaint online, by phone, email, or in person.
Personal Information
We will only collect Personal Information from you that is necessary and relevant to:
our relationship with you, including for the performance of our contractual obligations towards you, providing you with our services including the ability to use our App and Site, fundraising, organising and running Events and ensuring you are covered under our public liability insurance policy whilst participating in an Event; or
protect our legitimate interests and for compliance with legal and financial regulatory obligations to which we are subject.
When you use the Site or App or complete and submit any paper forms to us, you consent to the collection, storage, use and disclosure of your Personal Information as described in this Privacy Policy. We encourage Stakeholders to carefully read the Privacy Policy and use it to make informed decisions.
While the precise nature of the Personal Information we may require will depend on the specific services that we are providing to you, or the particular Event that is taking place and the exact nature of our engagement and relationship with you, we collect the following types of information:
During the course of dealing with you or through your use of the Site or App, CUA may collect Personal Information about you, such as:
- your name, gender and age;
- employment details such as your employment position and identification information of your employer such as the company name and number;
- contact information (for you and your emergency contact) such as your address, telephone number or email address and the same with respect to your emergency contact;
- payment information, including credit card details;
- geographical location;
- photographs of you;
- your Internet Protocol (“IP address“), server address, domain name and information on browsing activity when visiting one of our webpages; and
- photographs, uploaded by you via our App.
We may also collect other specific information from you relating to the services you request we provide.
Sensitive Information
We may also collect certain Sensitive Information as defined in the Privacy Act, such as, your gender, information about your health or medical conditions, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, or other information of a sensitive nature. We will only collect Sensitive Information:
- where you have provided your explicit consent; or
- where required or authorised by law.
We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that any Sensitive Information is handled with an appropriate level of care and in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Collection
Direct Collection
We collect Personal Information directly from you via a number of methods:
- Your access of our Site or App in connection with your use of our services, including submission of forms on each of them or through Cookies;
- When you Register via paper forms or using our Site or App;
- When you create an Account;
- When you purchase products or donate via our Site; and
- Our conversations with you, either in person, via email or over the phone.
Collection via Cookies
Cookies assist CUA in managing customised settings of the Site and delivering you content. They facilitate your ongoing access to and use of our Site and allow us to help you navigate efficiently, track usage patterns and to compile data that can help us improve our content and target advertising.
The types of Cookies we might use and purposes for which we use them include:
- Essential (Strictly Necessary) Cookies: Required to enable basic features of the Site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data;
- Session Cookies: Cookies that are stored only temporarily during a browsing session in order to allow normal use of the system and are deleted from your device when the browser is closed;
- Performance & Analytics Cookies: Used the understand how visitors interact with the Site and help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source etc;
- Functionality Cookies: Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features;
- Advertising & Targeting Cookies: Used to provide visitors with personalised ads based on pages they have visited previously, track user activity and analyse the effectiveness of the ad campaigns; and
- Social Media Cookies: Enable content sharing and social logins.
In addition to the above, we may permit third-party service providers, including but not limited to Google Analytics and advertising partners, to set cookies (as listed above) on your device and collection information about your use of the Site. These cookies are governed by the privacy policies of the respective third-party providers.
You can opt out of the use of Cookies by clicking on the Cookies Yes link displayed on the Site, it is a small circular blue icon and located in the bottom left of the homepage. Please note that if you choose to disable or opt out of certain types of Cookies, this may impact your experience of our Site or App and some features may not function as intended.
If you would like more details about our use of Cookies and how to manage them, please contact us using the details provided below, or consult your browsers help settings.
Indirect Collection
Sometimes we collect Personal Information about you, indirectly from third parties or publicly available sources. This may include, for example, information obtained from Event Volunteers, service providers, publicly accessible online platforms, or individuals acting on behalf of another person (such as a parent, legal guardian or authorised representatives).
Storage
We strive to ensure the security, integrity and privacy of Personal Information submitted to us and we review and update our Security Measures in light of the latest technologies. However, whilst no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we will endeavour to take all reasonable steps to protect the Personal Information you provide via the Site and App and ensure its security on our systems.
We may hold your Personal Information in both paper-based files in secured storage compartments, and other electronic record keeping methods in secured databases as set out below:
Physical records: Personal information may be collected in paper-based documents and converted to electronic form for use or storage (with the original paper-based documents either archived or securely destroyed). We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, and loss and from unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. CUA maintains physical security over paper-based documents including:
- Conducting staff training on data protection and information security obligations;
- Limiting access to personal information to authorised personnel only, on a need-to-know basis; and
- Maintaining physical security over paper-based records, including secure filing cabinets and access-controlled offices.
Electronic records: We take the security of your personal information seriously. To protect the integrity and confidentiality of your data, we implement robust Security Measures, including secure backups and encryption, to safeguard your data. These measures are designed to ensure that your information is safely stored and protected from unauthorised access.
Third Party Storage Providers: We store electronic records of your personal information with other third parties, including but not limited to third party:
- database storage providers, which may be based in Australia and/or overseas (as detailed in clause 12); and/or
- agronomic software stored on a secured electronic cloud server.
In addition, our employees and the contractors who provide services related to our information systems are obliged to respect the confidentiality of any Personal Information held by us.
In the event of an Eligible Data Breach (as defined in the Privacy Act), you may receive what is referred to as a data breach notification statement from CUA or one of our third party providers who administer the computer systems (servers) on which your Personal Information is held. This statement will include information about the breach and how it may have affected your Personal Information.
Purpose of collection and storage
Personal Information which Stakeholders submit to us is collected and held only for the purpose for which it is submitted (“Primary Purpose“), or for secondary purposes that are either related to the primary purpose or that you have consented to. Unless we disclose other uses in this Policy or otherwise at the time of collection, the purposes which we collect and hold your Personal Information relate to our functions and activities, including to:
- Create and manage your Registration or Account;
- Allow you to use the Site and App or become an Event Volunteer or Event Participant;
- Provide you with and improve optimal Site and App functionality, services, and information;
- Deliver a more personalised experience and service offering;
- Conduct a range of administration activities relating to you, including investigating and managing complaints, processing applications, administering billing and payment services and complying with legal requirements; and
- Purchase of merchandise and the delivery of products from our Site.
It is entirely your choice as to whether you provide us with your Personal Information. However, if you do not provide the Personal Information we have requested, we might not be able to:
- provide some of services which you require;
- provide you with specific Site or App features and online browsing features;
- thoroughly investigate or resolve any complaints made by you;
- provide you with tailored services;
- process or complete your Registration;
- create your Account;
- accept your donations; or
- allow you to participate in an Event (in any capacity); and
- fulfill orders submitted by you pertaining to the purchase of products via our Site.
Purpose of use
We may use or disclose your Personal Information for the Primary Purpose, or for such other secondary purposes that are reasonably expected to be related to the Primary Purpose, or otherwise consented to by you. Any use of your Personal Information (excluding sensitive information) for a purpose other than the Primary Purpose will be in accordance with requirements under the Privacy Act or other applicable laws or with your consent.
Generally, we will only use your Personal Information for purposes related to our functions and activities, including to:
- Create and manage your Registration or Account;
- allow you to use the Site and App or become an Event Volunteer or Event Participant;
- provide you with and improve optimal Site and App functionality, services, and information;
- deliver a more personalised experience and service offering;
- conduct a range of administrative activities relating to you, including investigating and managing complaints, requests, enquiring, processing applications, administering billing and payment services and complying with legal requirements;
- process payments (including purchases or donations);
- to assist you with your involvement in a CUA Event;
- process your Registration or create your Account;
- establish and maintain your relationship as a supporter of CUA, including providing you with newsletters, reports and other information;
- for direct marketing of products or services and to keep you informed of new developments we believe may be of interest to you. If we contact you in this way without obtaining your prior consent, we will provide you with the opportunity to decline any further marketing communications;
- provide it to third parties which we have retained to assist us to provide services to you; and
- carry out any activity in connection with any legal, governmental or regulatory requirement that CUA must comply with or in connection with any legal proceedings, crime or fraud prevention, detection or prosecution.
Direct Marketing: We may use your Personal Information, ourselves or by using our third party subcontractors for the purpose of providing you with promotional materials, concerning our services, which we believe may interest you and in such circumstances:
- these communications may be sent via email, SMS, phone, or other electronic means, in accordance with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles;
- You may opt out of receiving direct marketing communications from us at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions in our messages or by contacting us using the details provided in this Privacy Policy.
- We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes without your consent.
- In addition, any telephone-based direct marketing will be conducted in compliance with the Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (Cth) where applicable.
Purpose of disclosure
We take reasonable steps to ensure that any third party to whom we disclose your personal information is bound by privacy obligations that are consistent with the Privacy Act.
We will share Personal Information with our trusted third party providers (some of which may be located overseas, see clause 12 for more information), for any of the following purposes:
- hosting and operating our Site and App;
- providing you with our services, including providing a personalised display of our Site and App;
- storing such Personal Information on our behalf;
- providing you with marketing offers and promotional materials related to our Site, App, Events and services; and
- performing research, technical diagnostics or analytics.
We may also disclose information if we have good faith to believe that disclosure of such information is helpful or reasonably necessary to:
- comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request;
- enforce our policies, including investigations of potential violations of them or regarding illegal activities or other wrongdoing, suspected fraud or security issues;
- to establish or exercise our rights to defend against legal claims;
- prevent harm to the rights, property or safety of us, our users, yourself or any third party; or
- for the purpose of collaborating with law enforcement agencies and/or in case we find it necessary in order to enforce intellectual property or other legal rights.
Contacting us & making a complaint
Complaints to CUA
If you have any general questions or complaints about the Site, App, this Privacy Policy or the way CUA collects, holds, uses or discloses your Personal Information please contact the Customer Relations Officer at:
Post: Level 4, 233 Castlereagh St, Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: 02 8197 3400
Email: cleanup@cleanup.com.au
The complaint will be referred to our CEO. The CEO will investigate the issue and determine the steps that we will undertake to resolve your complaint. You can contact the CEO using the details set out above. We will contact you if we require any additional information from you and will notify you in writing of the outcome of the investigation.
Complaints to OAIC
If you are not satisfied with our response or we fail to provide a response to your complaint within 30 days of receipt of your complaint, you can lodge a privacy complaint with the OAIC. The contact details for the OAIC are set out below:
Post: GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001
Ph: 1300 363 992
Fax: (02) 9284 9666
Website: https://www.oaic.gov.au/
International disclosure/transfer of Personal Information
We use applications that are hosted in the cloud to support the operation of our services. While these applications may involve storage of data on servers located outside Australia, we do not outsource any administrative or operational processes to overseas entities.
Additionally, in connection with the functionality of the App, we use an artificial intelligence tool, Gemini 2.5 Flash AI to assist in the processing and analysis of images submitted by Stakeholders whereby:
- as part of this process, the images you upload whilst using the App may be transmitted to and processed by third-party systems operating Gemini 2.5 AI; and
- by using this App and submitting images, you consent to your personal information being disclosed and processed in this manner. If you do not wish for your personal information to be handled overseas, we recommend that you do not use the image-processing functionality within the App.
Please note that this processing may occur on servers located outside of Australia, including (but not limited to) the United States of America. Accordingly, your personal information (which may be contained within the images) may be disclosed to entities located in those countries for the purposes of providing the image processing functionality.
Where your personal information is stored using cloud-based services or through the use of Gemini 2.5 Flash AI, we take reasonable steps to ensure that any overseas recipient of your personal information does not breach the Australian Privacy Principles in relation to that information. Where it is not practicable to ensure that the overseas recipient complies with the Australian Principles, we will seek your consent before any such disclosure occurs (unless an exception under the Privacy Act applies).
If you would like more details about the countries which we may disclose your Personal Information to or the steps we have taken to ensure your Personal Information is secure in these jurisdictions, please contact us.
Updates or amendments to this Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to modify or update this policy at our discretion. Where there has been a material change to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you by email or by putting a notice on our Site or App. Your continued use of the App or Site, following the notification of such amendments on our website, or participation in an Event, constitutes your acknowledgment and consent of such amendments to the Privacy Policy and your agreement to be bound by the terms of such amendments.
Access to and maintenance of Personal Information
You may access the Personal Information we hold about you and to update or correct it. If you wish to access your Personal Information, please contact us using in writing using the contact details provided above, detailing who is requesting access to the Personal Information and for what purpose. In order to protect your Personal Information, we may require identification from you before releasing the requested information.
CUA will take reasonable steps as necessary, to ensure that your Personal Information is accurate, complete, and up to date. If you find that the Personal Information we have is not up to date or is inaccurate, please advise us as soon as possible to update our records and ensure we can continue to provide quality services to you.
Retention of Personal Information
We will retain your Personal Information for as long as necessary to provide our services, and as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our policies. Retention periods will be determined considering the type of information that is collected and the purpose for which it is collected, bearing in mind the requirements applicable to the situation and the need to destroy outdated, unused information at the earliest reasonable time.
We will keep records containing Personal Information, account opening documents, communications and anything else as required by applicable laws and we may rectify, replenish or remove incomplete or inaccurate information, at any time and at our own discretion.
When we no longer require your Personal Information for any lawful purpose, we will take reasonable steps to de-identify or securely destroy it, in accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act.
Minors
We understand the importance of protecting children’s privacy, especially in an online environment. The Site is not designed for or directed at Minors. Under no circumstances do we:
- allow use of our services by Minors; or
- knowingly collect Personal Information from Minors,
without the involvement and consent or authorisation by a parent or legal guardian. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that his or her child has provided us with Personal Information without their consent, he or she should contact us.
Where we become aware that personal information has been collected from a Minor without appropriate parental or guardian consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete such information.
We will only collect, use, or disclose the personal information of child where that child is over the age of 15 and has the capacity to consent, and such consent is voluntary and informed. Where capacity cannot be demonstrated or where the individual is under the age, we will only collect personal information with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian.
We encourage parents and guardians to actively supervise and participate in their child’s use of our Site or App, submission of Registrations and Account creations. If you are a parent or guardian and believe we have collected personal information from your child without your consent, please contact us using the details below.
Third Party Sites
Our Privacy Policy only addresses the use and disclosure of information we collect from you. To the extent you disclose your information to other parties or sites throughout the internet, different rules may apply to their use or disclosure of the information you disclose to them. Accordingly, we encourage you to read the terms and conditions and privacy policy of each third party that you choose to disclose information to, including any mentioned in this Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of companies that we do not own or control, or to individuals whom we do not employ or manage, including any of the third parties to which we may disclose information as set forth in this Privacy Policy.
Updated 28/01/2026