Page 1732 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 15 May 2019
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(c) the German cities of Freiburg, Berlin and Munich have supported the reduction of disposable coffee cup waste by establishing reusable coffee cup zones; and
(d) the positive experience of going disposable coffee cup free by Frankies at Forde demonstrates a willingness by Canberrans and businesses to support and adopt environmentally friendly practices; and
(2) calls on the ACT government to:
(a) develop an implementation strategy for a Reusable Coffee Cup Zone trial within the Gungahlin region, in conjunction with local businesses and organisations, by the end of 2019; and
(b) commence the Reusable Coffee Cup Zone trial within the next 12 months.
I am bringing this motion to the Assembly because we need to do more to reduce plastic waste in the ACT. Disposable single-use coffee cups have long been identified as a significant contributor to our vast levels of plastic waste both here in Canberra and across Australia.
It is estimated that as many as one billion disposable coffee cups are sold and discarded every year in Australia. The vast majority of these cups end up either in landfill or in our oceans. The harmful effects of our excessive plastic waste are well documented and well known. In particular, I am sure members have all seen the devastating images of sea life caught in plastic bags and other plastic waste and of the massive amounts of plastic found inside deceased sea and bird life. Yet, despite us knowing the harmful and irreparable effects of plastic waste, our plastic obsession continues.
It is true that Canberrans are among the best recyclers in Australia. According to the 2018 national waste report, of the one million tonnes of plastic waste Canberrans produce each year, approximately 70 per cent is re-used or recycled. Here in the ACT we are also able to recycle the paper component of disposable coffee cups. However, the plastic lining, the more harmful component of the disposable cups, remains unrecyclable. Whilst Canberra’s excellent recycling rate is commendable, if our goal is to minimise the harmful effects of waste on our environment it is far better to avoid single-use items altogether.
The ACT has been at the forefront of plastic waste reduction in this country. The ACT’s plastic bag ban, introduced in 2011, has been incredibly successful in reducing our plastic waste. According to the report handed down by the 2018 unfantastic plastic review of the shopping bag ban, there has been a marked impact on the ACT’s consumption of single-use plastic bags as a direct result of the ban’s implementation. However, that same report noted that overall plastic consumption in the ACT continues to grow. Our total consumption of single-use plastics is returning to pre-ban levels, and Canberra’s own war on waste is far from over.
The government’s recently released discussion paper on phasing out single-use plastics and the accompanying proposal for a ban on single-use plastics is a promising
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