Crown casino to phase out single-use plastic bags, straws and cutlery across Melbourne venues

PLASTIC straws, cutlery and single-use bags will all be phased out at Crown Casino, with the move expected to prompt other shopping centres and hotel chains to follow.

EXCLUSIVE: MELBOURNE’S Crown cas­ino will begin to phase out plastic cutlery, straws and bags from its complex.

The policy will kick in next month and extend to all areas including eateries in the food court, the casino, hotels, retail stores and bars.

It is now expected other major complexes, such as shopping centres and hotel chains, will follow.

It comes as councils across the state also tighten their ­policies on plastics at events and draw up new environmental waste standards.

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Customers wanting drinking straws will have to ask for them.

Crown spokeswoman Natasha Stipanov said customers wanting straws for drinks would need to ask for them, but the aim was to get rid of them entirely.

“Crown recognises that the process to phase out single-use plastics will take several years, and that we are at the start of our journey,” she said.

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On the Crown hit list of plastics to be phased out from next month are shampoos and conditioners in plastic bottles, cutlery, straws and shopping bags.

It is understood when the current stock disappears, no more will be ordered, with more environmentally friendly options being sought.

Plastic cutlery will also be phased out at Crown.

Bans on single-use plastic continue to gain momentum, with some Victorian councils already banning cups, poly­styrene foam, disposable food containers, over-packaged goods and straws from being used at council events.

Balloons have been banished from most markets and fetes in a bid to reduce environmental impact.

Woolworths and Coles are getting rid of single-use plastic bags. Picture: AAP

Plastic bags have been dumped by the big two supermarkets, with Woolworths already implementing the ban and Coles starting next month.

Customers will now be forced to bring their own bags or pay for options such as 15c thicker, reusable bags and 99c canvas bags.

Plastic bags have already been phased out at South Melbourne Market.

And on the Surf Coast, the Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro had a plastic-free policy for vendors, diverting 65 per cent of waste from landfill.

Under law, local councils are not able to apply bans on the sale or distribution of ­single-use plastics.

But many councils are also running education campaigns with local stores and traders to get them to reduce the amount of single-use plastic.

Port Phillip mayor Bernadene Voss said: “Council will be strengthening its commitment to reducing all single-use plastics at our events and advocating to the Victorian and federal governments to take action on disposable plastics.”

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