The issue of single-use plastics is high up the agenda in 2021 with governments all over Australia introducing, or looking to introduce bans on single-use plastics.
We have been working closely with many state governments to advise on alternatives and to assist food retailers affected by the bans to switch to better alternatives with our Plastic Free Places program. We are also being supported by the Commonwealth Government to create a ‘Plastic Free Beaches’ program, that will see our program extended to all states and territories of Australia. Expect more news soon.
We have begun the recruitment process for the positions of Plastic Free Beaches Community Coordinator, one in Sydney and one in Perth. If you’re a local in those areas and love the sound of working to create change in your community, it might be the job for you!
In July, we are embarking on a 4-month Qld Government appointed tour to present the Qld plastic ban (which starts on September 1) to local community groups and show them how they can make switches to their fundraising and community activities. We’re super excited to get back to our road-tripping, having done similar tours in 2017 and 2018 to talk to community groups about the Container Refund Scheme. Engagement with the local community has always been at the core of the Plastic Free Places program, and we believe that face-to-face interactions are the key to connecting with people and creating inspiring change!
Check out our tour schedule - please share it with anyone you know in Qld who might be interested in attending.
Lastly, our current programs in Adelaide, Cairns, Townsville, Byron and Rockhampton (a newbie which started in March this year) are all going from strength to strength. This year is seeing an increased focus on reusables and we rolled out a successful trial a few months ago with select cafes all over Australia to help them supercharge use of reusables. This will be offered to all member cafes of the Plastic Free Places program, and we will work with them closely one-on-one over a period of one month to help them create new behaviour changes, both for the cafe and their customers. And for those cafes not in our program, we’ll have an online toolkit - that we’ll be asking all of our followers (i.e. you) to share with your local cafes.
Thanks for your continued support!