Take The Plastic Free July Challenge

The NSW Government has taken on the Plastic Free July challenge, joining millions of people around the world in reducing the amount of single-use plastic waste.

In collaboration with Cumberland City Council and the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, the Plastic Free Project aims to tackle the roughly 100kg of plastic packaging used by individual households each year.

As NSW Most Sustainable City in 2019, Mayor of Cumberland City Council Steve Christou says action to reduce single-use plastic starts with simple daily habits.

“It starts in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities. We need to have more conversations about how to reduce single-use plastics, and work towards a better future for the next generation from today.”

“Reducing landfill and protecting the environment are just some of the outcomes of a joint response to combating the impact plastics have had on our community,” said Mayor Steve Christou.

Last years plastic-free challenge saw participant households reduce was by 23kg, half of the Australians government’s target of reducing 10 per cent of the total waste generated by every Australian by 2030.

Founder of the Plastic Free July challenge Rebecca Prince-Ruiz believes this years challenge is more poignant than ever as the “as we begin to realise how intrinsically our social and physical environment is tied to the fundamental wellbeing of our communities.”

According to Rebecca, “the majority of challenge participants started by choosing to refuse at least one single-use plastic, but nine out of 10 ended up creating long-term habits that lasted far beyond the challenge itself.”

“Plastic Free July isn’t about drastic lifestyle change; it’s about being more conscious of the single-use plastics that you use day-to-day and taking small but smart steps to reduce them.”

A 2016 audit of Household Kerbside Waste, Recycling and Garden Organics Bins found Cumberland City’s overall non-recyclable plastics constituted 16% of bin contamination.

As a result, Cumberland City Council host a range of educational, plastic reduction initiatives, including ‘Boomerang Bag Making Workshops’ and ‘Kids Clothing and Toy Swap’.