Shire to phase out its single-use plastics

MANY single-use plastic items will be phased out over the next three years at all Surf Coast Shire facilities, official shire events and anything held on shire-owned land over under an updated policy.

A narrow majority of councillors (four votes to three) resolved to adopt the Single Use Items and Packaging Policy, which replaces the 2021 Plastic Wise Policy, at their meeting last month.

The policy has been broadened from the Plastic Wise Policy and will apply to all formal use of shire facilities, such as:

User groups, including tenant sports clubs

Community members or businesses hiring the facilities for parties, events, conferences or workshops

Facilities directly managed by the shire, and Organisers hosting events and markets on shire land.

It does not apply to informal use of shire facilities such as visiting a library or local park.

The policy outlines three categories of items to be phased out:

Category one – State bans: items already banned by the Victorian government and EPA, such as lightweight plastic bags

Category two – Local bans: single-use items (including single-use compostable items) to be phased out, including all plastic bags and takeaway coffee cups and lids, and

Category three – Reduce your use: items harder to avoid but still important to attempt to reduce, such as soft plastic packaging.

Exemptions are available in certain circumstances, including health and safety, existing commercial agreements, and lack of suitable alternatives.

The shire noted it cannot accept compostable packaging in its Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) processor due to the presence of PFAS (synthetic chemicals that contaminate compost) and the lack of regulation of “compostable” labelling.

Cr Leon Walker said last year’s shire business survey results found 80 per cent of businesses had a desire to invest in sustainable actions.

“That’s only a small thing when you think of it. But if 40,000 of our community… get one takeaway [cup] per week, that’s 2 million cups [per year]. Five takeaways or one every day of the week, that’s 10 million cups. Over 10 years, that’s 100 million cups. That’s a lot.

“For businesses and communities, don’t look at the easy option of takeaway, but look at the long-term and bigger picture of embracing reusables.

“I think it’s a good step forward to save waste and help our planet.”

Speaking against the motion, Cr Paul Barker said there was strong support in the community to step away from single-use plastics, but this should be done voluntarily, not through policy.

“If this policy is adopted, I can guarantee you categorically that there will be one or multiple community events that cease to operate because of this and other policies that cause an excessive burden on them running to the point that they can no longer sustainably afford to run.”