The McGowan Government is leading the charge on waste reduction and wants to hear from the Western Australian community about its views on the next step to reduce the harmful effects of single-use plastics.
Announcing the new consultation today at East Victoria Park's Antz HQ café, Environment Minister Stephen Dawson invited the community to contribute their ideas and participate in the consultation process.
The 'Let's not draw the short straw - reduce single-use plastics issues paper' and its associated online survey will guide the next step in the State's war on plastic waste.
Also announced today was a new funding partnership between the State Government and the Plastic Free Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation committed to the reduction of plastic use in our day-to-day lives. The Foundation is well known for its Plastic Free July campaign, which has strong support across Australia and around the world.
$326,725 in State Government funding and $484,126 from Lotterywest has been awarded to the Plastic Free Foundation to engage individuals and communities in WA to reduce waste and create a cleaner and healthier State.
Last year the WA Government banned lightweight plastic bags and instructed government agencies to stop buying avoidable single-use plastic items such as plastic cups, straws and cutlery.
Despite the convenience and low cost of disposable plastic items, Antz HQ café is a sustainability success story - plastic free with not a disposable cup or plastic spoon in sight.
Since opening three years ago, the café has saved 221,578 disposable cups from landfill - 7,268 in the last month alone.
The café stocks a range of reusable cups, and customers who BYO cup get a 50 cent discount on their coffee.
The discussion paper aligns with the McGowan Government's 'Our Priorities: A Liveable Environment', one of the targets of the Our Priorities program which aims to address important issues facing Western Australia.
To have your say on reducing single-use plastics in Western Australia, visit http://www.dwer.wa.gov.au/single-use-plastic-issues-paper to read the issues paper and complete the online survey.
As stated by Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
"The McGowan Government wants to do more to reduce the impacts of single-use plastics on our precious environment and we will do this in consultation with the community.
"Single-use plastic products may be convenient but their impacts on the environment, waste management facilities and human health cannot be ignored.
"Waste problems are a shared legacy. The State Government wants to hear your practical ideas on how to avoid and reduce single-use plastics so we can protect our environment for future generations."
