Yarra Leisure have begun phasing out single use plastic bottles

Phase 1 of our commitment to removing single-use plastic bottles across our Leisure facilities is underway.

Earlier this year following a council resolution, we announced that our Leisure Centres would be the first council-run facilities to eliminate single-use plastic water bottles and straws.

From Wednesday 1 January we will begin removing single-use plastic bottles from our leisure centres and golf course. Our Leisure staff have been working with our current suppliers to source plastic free product alternatives and scope out new suppliers that can offer more sustainable product alternatives.

Current merchandise stock will remain, although this will be considered at a later stage.

What drinks will be on offer?

From Wednesday 1 January 2020 our Leisure Centres will supply:

  • Water in reusable and recyclable aluminium cans.
  • Soft drinks in aluminium cans.
  • Musashi P30 milk until an alternative supplier can be sourced in Australia.
  • Coconut water until an alternative supplier can be sourced in Australia.
  • Gatorade until an alternative option can be sourced in Australia. A canned option is expected to be available in Australia by mid-2020.
  • Coffee in single use and reusable cups at Burnley Golf Course.

What will no longer be offered?

From Wednesday 1 January 2020 we will no longer supply:

  • Water and soft drink in plastic bottles.
  • Emma & Toms milk and juice.

Is there an alternative to buying a can of water?

We encourage you to bring your own reusable drink bottles to our facilities and fill up at our water fountains. We have:

  • 6 water fountains at Richmond Recreation Centre (5 with bottle filling stations).
  • 7 water fountains at Fitzroy Swimming Pool (4 with bottle filling stations).
  • 5 water fountains at Collingwood Leisure Centre (3 with bottom filling stations).
  • 1 bottle filling water fountain at Burnley Golf Course.

In 2020 we will be upgrading some of our current water fountains and installing additional fountains to allow more options for you to fill up your water bottle.

What if I forget my reusable bottle?

We understand that sometimes you may forget your water bottle, so we will have quality reusable aluminium drink bottles available for purchase from our customer service desks at a reasonable price from Wednesday 1 January 2020.

5 coloured Yarra Leisure branded reusable aluminium water bottles

Two reusable bottle options will be available in multiple colours for $9.95 and $19.95.

Keep Cups will also be sold at Burnley Golf Course for $8.95.

Why are you doing this?

In July 2019, Yarra City Council unanimously voted to eliminate single use plastic across facilities, starting with plastic water bottles and straws.

Former Yarra Mayor, Cr Danae Bosler said going plastic-free is an important step in the council’s long-term ambition to become a zero waste city.

“Single-use plastics have a terrible impact on our environment, particularly our waterways, and our community expects us to take real action on this issue.

By removing plastic bottles from our Yarra Leisure facilities, we expect to eliminate the consumption of approximately 17,000 plastic bottles each year. This figure is based on our annual plastic bottle consumption across our facilities during 2018/19.

Yarra City Council is committed to developing a plan for removing single-use plastics from other Yarra City Council facilities, venues and events. Learn more about council’s plan to phase out single-use plastics.

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