It might be the middle of July but it’s never too late to take on the challenge of going plastic-free.
In fact, Byron Shire Council’s Waste Education and Compliance Officer, Zoe White, said many people like to start with a smaller challenge of two weeks rather than four.
“Plastic Free July is challenging people to say no plastics, from plastic bags to toiletries to decorations,” Ms White said.
“The aim is that any small change in everyday behaviour is more likely to be successful and it could be as simple as refusing to use the plastic bags in supermarkets for fruit and vegetables,” she said.
“Campaigns like Plastic Free July shine a light on reducing waste and litter which in turn means less rubbish turns up in our waterways and oceans,” Ms White said.
A recent CSIRO study found plastic on Australia’s beaches has reduced by approximately one third (29 percent) and this is being attributed to the efforts of communities and local governments.
“Byron Shire Council was highlighted in the study for its Butt Free Byron project as an example of how local projects can help with global problems,” Ms White said.
The Butt Free Byron project finished last year and achieved a 40 percent reduction in the volume of litter in the Shire and a 58 percent reduction in the number of litter items.
This was measured at 24 local litter check sites checked monthly throughout the shire since 2017.
The project also focused strongly on visitor education and raising awareness of the impacts of litter on the Cape Byron Marine Park.
“We are really proud of the Butt Free Byron results but we still have a long way to go,” Ms White said.
Council continues to develop and extend on litter and waste education projects.
“We have just launched a new project called Bring it Back – Bruns where we are working with some takeaway businesses to move away from single-use takeaway containers.
“There’s also Byron Loves BYO which asks people to carry their own coffee cup to reduce the 2.7 million disposable coffee cups that go into landfill in Australia every day,” Ms White said.
People can sign up to Plastic Free July on the Plastic Free July website.
