Plastic bags and bottles gone in waste recycling move
SINGLE-USE plastics such as bottles and bags will no longer be part of the biggest events in Ryde such as the Granny Smith Festival, Lunar New Year festivities and Australia Day.
Northern District Times
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SINGLE-USE plastics such as bottles and bags will no longer be part of the biggest events in Ryde such as the Granny Smith Festival, Lunar New Year festivities and Australia Day.
Ryde Council has voted to no longer allow single-use plastics in its operations and events as part of the growing environmental movement to reduce waste.
The decision means the council will not provide balloons, plastic cups or straws at its library activities, citizenship ceremonies and other operations.
Cr Roy Maggio proposed the change and his peers unanimously voted in support.
Cr Maggio said plastics had a devastating effect on waterways and the council had to act responsibly.
“We need to lead the way on this,” he said.
Mayor Jerome Laxale said stallholders at council events would have new conditions requiring they not provide single-use plastics.
“You will have to provide alternatives if you want to participate in Ryde events,” he said.
He said the council had been asking residents to reduce their waste so it was only right the council followed suit.
The move comes as major retailers, including Coles and Woolworths, no longer provide single-use plastic bags from July 1, and community groups such as Bag Free Beecroft have been providing reusable bags to shoppers.
Last year the NSW Government introduced the Return and Earn container deposit scheme — aimed at reducing plastic bottle waste.
The council decision included a new waste education campaign to educate others on reducing their waste. This will focus on business.
Cr Laxale said: “We’ll take the program to big businesses at Macquarie Park and encourage them to ban plastics from their operations, too.”
As part of the education campaign, Ryde Library is hosting a workshop on July 4 on how people can reduce their use of plastics.