Almost 60 Eurobodalla businesses have signed on to reduce their use of single-use take-away plastics through Eurobodalla Council’s We Care program.
The program aims to reduce the quantity of single-use plastic packaging being consumed, sent to landfill or littered into our environment by working with businesses to help them take charge of their waste.
Anna Jane Linke – who founded the now international Seaside Scavenge environmental initiative – has been working with Council on the project.
She is helping local businesses find environmentally sustainable products that suit them, connect with local suppliers, trial new types of packaging, and brainstorm creative ways they can reduce single-use and takeaway waste. Ms Linke said the project had been well received so far.
“It's been fantastic to see that many businesses across Eurobodalla had already begun this eco-friendly packaging journey before the program began,” she said.
“Those new to the program have been enthusiastic to see how they can make changes to reduce their plastic waste, but more importantly eager to align their values with a growing community who is aware of the packaging they're purchasing.”
Ms Linke said it had been comforting to learn that most businesses were willing to accept a slight price increase associated with eco-friendly products to please their customers and reduce their potential impact on the environment.
She said the next step was helping local consumers to make more environmentally-friendly choices by supporting the businesses that are taking steps to reduce their waste.
“Our everyday decisions have big repercussions, if we change the way we shop we can change the huge amount of waste entering our waterways annually,” she said.
“The most eco-friendly option is to avoid single-use disposables wherever possible. That means, if you can eat-in and save the packaging, do it! If you can skip on the fork because you have one in the office, do it!
“Customers can also bring their own clean cups and food containers to participating We Care businesses to reduce packaging - some businesses even offer a discount for this.”
Businesses can join the We Care Eurobodalla program at any time, and they can start by targeting just one item, like straws.
For more information, including the list of participating businesses, visit Council’s website www.esc.nsw.gov.au and search “We Care Eurobodalla”. Businesses interested in learning more can phone Anna Jane Linke on 0408 630 667 or email WeCareEurobodalla@gmail.com
We Care Eurobodalla is funded by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority’s Litter Prevention Grant.
Above: Anna Jane Linke, who founded the international Seaside Scavenge environmental initiative, is working with Eurobodalla Council on the We Care Eurobodalla program to help local businesses take charge of their waste.
