Page 3393 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 22 August 2018
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plastics are for what might be literally 10 minutes in your drink, never to be used again, and discarded into the environment with that incredibly long-lived presence.
That is why we launched this campaign. While straws are just one small part of the plastic waste problem, the campaign offers an opportunity to begin the conversation about plastic waste with community members and local businesses. Through influencing consumer and business behaviour, we can make alternatives to plastic mainstream and encourage broader conversations and action to reduce other plastic waste trends.
Some people have said, “Why focus on straws?” Aside from the statistics I have just given about the sheer volume of waste and the long-lived nature of it, I think straws are one of those things that people can relate to in the sense that they know that we all use them at times. There are also good alternatives out there, whether it is businesses purchasing bamboo straws, which are available, or providing stainless steel straws.
The very first organisation we launched the campaign with was Bentspoke Brewing in Braddon. They purchased a couple of hundred stainless steel straws. The cost of them was not high. I have since seen the owners of Bentspoke and talked to them about how it is going. They said that their customers have embraced the campaign very well. They like the stainless steel straws. Not too many people have stolen them as souvenirs; so that is a good outcome as well. I think they have demonstrated that it is possible to do it differently.
I appreciate and laud those businesses that have signed up to the campaign. I thank them for their leadership in the community and their embracing a better future that is more sustainable. It is critical that we act now to reduce plastic waste, both for the health of the world’s oceans and waterways and to care for our environment in the ACT. I am certainly proud of the work that the ACT government has been able to do to reduce plastic waste. I am committed to continuing to improve our work in this area for the sake of our community and future generations.
As members will have seen, I have circulated an amendment underlining some of those steps that the ACT government has already been able to take. Whilst I absolutely agree with Ms Orr’s motion, I think it is also relevant to add these factors for the record in the Assembly so that those reading the debate in years to come will see the steps that we have already taken. But I also note in proposing this amendment and in supporting the motion that we know we have much more work to do.
This amendment highlights the ban on plastic bags, the street level recycling bins in town centres and the installation of new drinking fountains in town centres and other areas to reduce plastic bottle usage. For me, that is one of those win-win initiatives. It not only encourages people to bring their own container that they can refill for free and avoid some of those costs that Ms Orr spoke about, including the incredible cost that we pay for water—if you buy it in a bottle, the price per litre is really eye-watering—it also encourages people to avoid sugary drinks, which tackles some of the other agendas that the government has around improving people’s healthy lifestyles and helping to combat the trend to obesity that we are seeing in our community.
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