Page 1734 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 15 May 2019
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“We have had a lot of new customers seek us out because we are doing the right thing by the environment.” The experience of Frankies, as well as other Canberra cafes, moving away from single-use plastics clearly demonstrates a willingness by both Canberra businesses and consumers to make the transition to environmentally friendly practices. Frankies is a brilliant example of how well going single-use free can work. I cannot commend them enough for their work.
However, while one cafe is good, many would be even better. That is why I am calling on the ACT government to work with local businesses and organisations over the next six months to develop an implementation strategy for a re-usable coffee cup zone trial in Gungahlin. I am calling for a consultative strategy because I believe participating businesses should be given a say in how the scheme is developed and adjusted to best suit the needs of Canberra. This is essential for the long-term success of the scheme.
Developing the scheme in consultation with participating businesses will help to ensure that the resulting scheme and the implementation strategy is tailored to meet the needs of the Canberra community and our local businesses. It will ensure that the trial is both effective in reducing waste and supportive of our small local businesses. Once the strategy is finalised, by the end of this year, my motion calls for the trials to commence in the first half of next year. Establishing a re-usable coffee cup zone will simultaneously achieve significant, meaningful change and support our local businesses. It will be up to businesses to opt in to the trial. Based on the response I have already received from businesses right across Gungahlin, I am confident it will be a success.
Yes, making the transition away from disposable single-use plastics to re-usable, environmentally friendly alternatives can be costly for both businesses and consumers. That is why I am proposing a model like the Freiburg cup scheme. Under this model the ACT government would purchase a supply of re-usable cups to be distributed to businesses within the re-usable coffee cup zone. Instead of using disposable cups or requiring customers to purchase their own re-usable cups, businesses will then loan these cups to their customers. Just like with the Freiburg cups, these cups can then be returned to participating businesses to be washed and re-used again and again.
I note that the Freiburg scheme encourages customers to return Freiburg cups to businesses by charging a small one euro deposit, which customers are then refunded upon returning their cup. This is something that can be considered during the development of the implementation strategy. By implementing this model we can eliminate waste from disposable single-use coffee cups in the Gungahlin region. And what is more, we can do so without imposing costs on local businesses.
By providing businesses with re-usable cups to loan to their customers, we will take the burden off local small businesses and take the onus off customers to purchase their own re-usable cups and to remember to bring them. I believe that the Gungahlin region is an ideal location for the trial of a re-usable cup zone. The success of Frankies at Forde clearly shows that customers in the Gungahlin region are interested in more environmentally friendly practices and are keen to do what they can to reduce
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