Come and meet the Wash Instead of Waste Team at our local markets this Plastic Free July

Never before has it made more sense to ditch disposables and Choose 2 Reuse instead.

We tried compostable and biodegradable alternatives to single use plastics and they’ve failed. Just google PFAS and food containers and you’ll read why.  It’s true not every brand of single use coffee cup or burger box has PFAS in it but our waste systems can’t sort out the good from the bad so they are all now destined for landfill.

The Byron Shire Council is phasing out single use items from its operations and the halls and lands it manages.  This means many of our markets and much loved local events are under pressure to work out what reusable systems will best suit them by December.  To support this transition council has engaged Mullum Cares and other experts to support event and market managers and their vendors to trial reusables and work through the challenges they are facing.  

Bring Your Own

Every event serves hundreds, often thousands of drinks and food dishes.  Imagine if half of what is needed comes with the patrons – meaning you!  If half are BYO’d that would take a massive load off the market organisers and their vendors.  It’s not yet clear if markets will buy their own stock, or if the vendors themselves will buy and supply what they need.  A mobile wash station that’s stocked and services many markets is an option being investigated too.  Regardless of the system each market decides is best for them, the burden can be shared by community by bringing their own.

Keep cups are the most common item after refillable water bottles but dont forget a couple of bags and take away containers.  You can use take away containers to get your lunch served in (and afterwards you can just put the lid on and throw it in your bag dirty until you get to wash it at home.  One Plastic Free July we ran a workshop on how to make your own Cutlery Carry All.  Follow Mullum Cares on Fb – we might just get one happening this year!

Be happy to donate a gold coin

If you forget to BYO or just want to support this fantasic shift that will really stop tonnes of predictable waste from being created by ready with a gold coin to donate to the effort.  Supplying the reusables and washing them so they are sanitary isn’t free.  Your donations during these transition months will give the markets confidence they will manage all the challenges without serious cost increases.

Plastic Perfect Match

Bring along any containers or lids you have at home that have lost their partners.  We’ll have our Plastic Perfect Match tub on site and will wash any donations we receive.  The logic is that many of us buy reusable take away containers from the same places and so it’s easy to imagine your neighbour may very well have a lid that fits your lonley container.

If you’re lucky and find a match you are welcome to keep it – that’s the point!  Rather than lids and bottoms (this goes for keep cups and other drink containers too) being thrown out because they are pretty useless without the better halves, they get a second chance to be useful.