In the lead up to Plastic Free July, supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths abolished single-use plastic bags. And now staff at Cumberland Council are being encouraged to #ChooseToRefuse single-use plastics too.
Acting General Manager Brooke Endycott said Council is working towards a cleaner, greener Cumberland and the community are invited to join staff in having a Plastic Free July.
“You’ll be joining millions of people from 159 countries world-wide in making a difference,” Ms Endycott said.
“Plastic Free July started in 2011 in Western Australia and has since grown into a movement of more than two million participants.
“Plastic Free July aims to raise awareness of the problems with single-use disposable plastic and challenges people to do something about it.
“With the big supermarkets moving to ban single-use plastic bags, there is no better time to turn universal awareness of plastic waste into action on single-use plastics.
“This July, our aim is to empower staff and members of our community to choose to refuse and collectively contribute by making small changes to their day-to-day actions to make a big difference.
“Making a difference is as simple as swapping out your usual disposable coffee cup with an eco-friendly version or bringing your own re-useable bags to get groceries.
“To participate in the Plastic Free July campaign this year, sign-up to the challenge at plasticfreejuly.org and access resources to help make environmentally friendly lifestyle choices.”
Plastic Free July Foundation’s top tips to #ChooseToRefuse this July:
- Use an eco-friendly coffee cup to get your caffeine fix on the go
- Avoid plastic packed products – choose loose produce and products in paper packaging
- Bring reuseable bags to do your grocery shopping
- Bulk buy or get re-fills where possible
- Use beeswax wraps, or a reusable container, instead of gladwrap to keep your produce fresh and plastic-free
