The service includes the cleansing of approximately 1,730,000m2 of beach/foreshore areas, 280,000m2 of car parks/recreation grounds and 2,300 kilometres (1,430 miles) of highway.

All areas are cleaned to standards which are defined in the Environmental Protection Act, 1990; Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. The Code is concerned with how clean land is, rather than how often it is swept. Expressed in its simplest terms: "If it isn't dirty, don't clean it".

Four standards of cleanliness are defined in the Code of Practice as shown below: -

Grade A - No litter or refuse
Grade B - Predominantly free of litter and refuse apart from small items
Grade C - Widespread distribution of litter and refuse with minor accumulations
Grade D - Heavily littered with significant accumulations

The Code of Practice also requires that local authorities categorise all relevant land into different zones. These zones are briefly described below, but are defined in more detail in the Code of Practice.

Category 1 Zone - Main shopping centres
Category 2 Zone - High density residential areas
Category 3 Zone - Low density residential areas
Category 4 Zone - All other residential areas
Category 5 Zone - Amenity beaches
Category 6 Zone - Strategic traffic routes
Category 7 Zone - Other traffic routes