Sustainable initiative for events plates up in OG

COMMUNITY group Repair Cafe Bellarine has set up a new initiative where event organisers can borrow reusable tableware kits for free.

The Reuse Me in OG initiative will help local events such as festivals, markets, school fetes, parties and weddings, to reduce their waste.

The group has purchased 250 sets of reusable plates, festival plates, bowls, cups and cutlery with the option for organisers to borrow as little as 20 of each.

The City of Greater Geelong supported the purchase of the kits – made from recycled plastics – through its Environment and Sustainability Grants Program.

There are two types of kits that can be borrowed, in boxes containing 20 or 30 items each.

The “Complete Kit” includes 160 plates, bowls, cups and cutlery, while the “Basic Kit” includes 90 divided festival plates and forks.

After considerable preparation and planning, the Reuse Me in OG kits are now ready for use – all you have to do is book them.

This community service was created after Repair Cafe Bellarine creator Courtney Johnson noticed some of the local markets and festivals were still using single-use plastics, despite the community-wide focus on reducing waste.

“We found that if markets and schools wanted to stop using single use plastics and swap to reusable tableware, they didn’t have many options available to them, especially small events with limited budgets,” she said.

“We wanted to create a service that reduced this barrier by making it easily accessible, affordable and easy to use.

“A huge thank you goes to the Driftwood Cafe in Ocean Grove who have offered their services for free to commercially clean the kits after use.”

To find out more about this free community service, head to the Repair Cafe Bellarine Facebook page, or email the group at [email protected].