The expansion of an environmental sustainability program to phase out single-use plastics will impact the Logan hospitality industry.
The free program is run jointly by the state government and the Boomerang Alliance – a not-for-profit environmental conservationist group.
Businesses that sign up for the program will receive on-the-ground support by the Boomerang Alliance, as well as connections with environmentally friendly suppliers and support for other related complications a business might face.
Before its expansion into Logan and the rest of southeast Queensland, the program had been running in cafes in regional parts of the state, eliminating more than 8.2 million pieces of single-use plastic.
“It’s really good to come to South-East Queensland,” program co-creator Toby Hutcheons said.
“The biggest challenge now is making it systematic so we can work in each area.”
Mr Hutcheons said there was a potential to become inundated with expressions of interest, so it was important to hyper localise the program.
“We’ve never received any interest from Logan Council,” Mr Hutcheons said.
“The best thing would be for the council to provide funding so that we can employee a coordinator to work in Logan.
“They can help us identify the cafes that need help.”
Mr Hutcheon’s said local businesses should ask Logan City Council to express interest in the program, to enable Boomerang Alliance to “go into the area more easily”.
Currently, Boomerang Alliance has three employees across Queensland and they have helped approximately 600 cafes.
The program coincides with the state government’s $1.1 billion recycling and jobs fund, and their five-year roadmap to phase out a number of single-use plastics – including fruit and vegetable bags, polystyrene trays, takeaway containers and sauce sachets.
Single-use plastic accounts for 75 per cent of rubbish removed from Australian beaches.
According to government data, seven out of 10 Queenslanders were already taking steps to limit their consumption of single-use plastics.
Minister for the environment, Meaghan Scanlon said “some businesses might already have measures in place to reduce single use plastic usage.
“This free program is about helping business owners either get started or take it to the next level,” Ms Scanlon, said.
“The majority of Queenslanders are already taking steps to cut out single-use plastics, and together with many business owners they want to see it cut out from the places they dine, shop and stay at too.”
The program now operates in every state in the country.
