{"id":108295,"date":"2025-07-07T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/tweedcoasttimes\/?p=108295"},"modified":"2025-07-02T22:20:49","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T12:20:49","slug":"simple-swaps-for-plastic-free-july","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/tweedcoasttimes\/news\/simple-swaps-for-plastic-free-july\/","title":{"rendered":"Simple swaps for Plastic Free July"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE Tweed Shire Council team is making plastic-free pledges and encouraging the community to make small changes that can have a big impact.<\/p>\n

The council’s Sustainability and Environment education officer, Jane Moad, said it was the perfect time to try one small change to reduce single-use plastics in our daily lives.<\/p>\n

“Plastic Free July is an opportunity to start some new habits and see how easy it can be to make better choices for the environment – all you need is a plan to get started,” Moad said.<\/p>\n

“Small changes add up. In Australia, 1.8 billion coffee cups end up in landfills each year.<\/p>\n

“If we could just bring our own reusable coffee cup every time, we can make a big dent in avoiding waste and emissions from those cups.”<\/p>\n

What began as a small challenge in Western Australia in 2011 has evolved into a global movement, with over 174 million people participating across 190 countries.<\/p>\n

While Australians reduced their plastic waste by 46 million kilograms last year alone, the national statistics remain sobering.<\/p>\n

On average, Australians use 70 billion pieces of soft plastic and consume one million tonnes of single-use plastic annually.<\/p>\n

For residents wondering where to start, the council suggests beginning with small steps and forming good habits to support reducing plastic use.<\/p>\n

Reusable coffee cups and water bottles, loose (unpackaged) produce, reusable shopping bags, paper-wrapped meat and fish, and reusable or paper straws are just some of the simple changes individuals can make.<\/p>\n

Buying cleaning, bathroom and laundry products in bulk also saves on significant packaging and costs.<\/p>\n

“The Tweed is one of the most biodiverse regions in Australia,” Moad said.<\/p>\n

“We all love to enjoy our beaches, rivers and waterways and the animals that live in them.<\/p>\n

“Reducing plastic pollution is one way that we can protect and enjoy our local environment.”<\/p>\n

For information, resources and tips, visit plasticfreejuly.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE Tweed Shire Council team is making plastic-free pledges and encouraging the community to make small changes that can have a big impact. The council’s Sustainability and Environment education officer, Jane Moad, said it was the perfect time to try one small change to reduce single-use plastics in our daily lives. “Plastic Free July is […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":228,"featured_media":108296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-108295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSimple swaps for Plastic Free July - Tweed Coast Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Make a difference this July! Discover simple Plastic Free July swaps for coffee cups, shopping bags, and more. 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