organisations within a community to develop a community owned initiative to ... The Boomerang Alliance aims to take the
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Communities Taking Control: Reducing your plastic footprint
Campaign overview: April 2017
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Executive Summary The following overview outlines the Boomerang Alliance’s vision for addressing plastic pollution within a community. The campaign ‘Communities Taking Control’ aims to bring together key individuals and organisations within a community to develop a community owned initiative to address plastic packaging and waste. The Boomerang Alliance aims to take the campaign to select communities and play a coordinating role offering expertise, strategies and advice with a focus on the community itself being heavily involved in the development, execution and monitoring of the initiative. The motivation behind the campaign is to promote the notion of community action and ownership of sustainable solutions that could be adopted by any community, as well as encouraging broader government action. We are initially working with two pilot communities in the Wollongong and Sunshine Coast/Noosa regions. Whilst we will be focussing on these (and applying the lessons learnt for future communities in which we work), we will also provide generic information to encourage other communities 1 to take action, with a comprehensive ‘How-to-Guide’ to be published near the end of 2017. *The degree of ongoing active Boomerang involvement will depend on available resources. In broad terms our two CTC pilots aim to: (1) set the framework for a community plan to reduce its plastic footprint (2) identify partners and design a plan (3) launch and roll out the plan from July 2017 (4) compile lessons about strategies and implementation that can be applied to other communities Contents 1. Background for the Campaign 2. The Vision for a Community Plan 3. Action Schedule
Background: Australia is Changing 2016 was a monumental year for waste and litter progress in Australia. NSW, QLD, WA and the ACT announced plans to introduce cash for containers schemes in the next 18 months. This means that, in addition to South Australia and the NT, only Victoria and Tasmania will not have a scheme in place. Four states and territories (SA, ACT, TAS and the NT) have banned plastic bags. QLD will follow in 2018 (extending the ban to biodegradables), leaving NSW and VIC as the only states without a ban. These measures will dramatically reduce plastic litter and the publicity around their introduction, further build community awareness about the dangers of plastic litter. The next step is to focus on the many other forms of disposable plastics that legislation does not currently address. The fact is that plastic litter in the environment is so destructive that we need to do more than wait for the slow wheels of the legislative arm to turn. We need to address the issue of plastic pollution from the top-down and the bottom-up. The community plays a vital role at both levels - taking action at individual, business, council and regional levels; and demonstrating its acceptance of effective action that can be replicated by legislation. 1
To be launched at our Marine Plastic Pollution Conference at the end of October
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Let’s Make a Difference Many individuals, businesses and communities have become aware of the plastic pollution problem and are changing habits and practices on their own accord. However, what is lacking is a comprehensive community approach to systematically address disposable plastic packaging litter and use, with a focus on long lasting solutions. The Boomerang Alliance in recognising the gap between community concern and collective action, is determined to produce material and resources that can be rolled out to any community looking to comprehensively reduce its plastic footprint.
The Community Plan The Boomerang Alliance will be proposing regionally-based community initiatives to reduce the use of identified single use plastic packaging across all stakeholders. An initiative of this scale should involve council, local businesses, local media, community organisations, NGO’s, schools, event organisers and active individuals, working together. The plan will target the use of identified single use, disposable plastic items which represent problematic and prolific sources of the litter stream. Whilst there are a number of identified single use plastic items, the Boomerang Alliance recommends targeting 5-6 items based on the demands of each community. By limiting the number of target items, communities can focus resources to ensure initiatives are implemented thoroughly. The following plastic items represent the generic targets within a community plan: ● Single use plastic food ware, plastic straws, plastic water bottles, takeaway coffee cups, takeaway containers and plastic bags (see Appendix 1 for the full table of items). Collateral The Boomerang Alliance plans to advance solutions to the above identified items by developing the ‘Communities Taking Control: reducing your plastic footprint Kit’ and working with members of the community to implement its recommendations. The Kit will expose common hurdles various stakeholders experience when attempting to transition away from plastic; and offer insights into how to overcome them, operating as an educational tool with case studies. Delivery Phases Phase 1: Development of the Kit The Kit will act as a ‘one-stop-shop’ that includes the following information: ● Education packages - an overview of the issue of plastic pollution, simple infographics on recycling and waste for broad community education and information for individual behaviour change, to reduce/refuse/reuse single-use plastic. ● How-to-guides - case studies that will form the basis of the guides to give key stakeholders practical advice to help them transition away from single use plastics. BA plans to create ‘how-to-guides’ for the following sectors: ○ Retailer of food business (cafes) ○ Individuals 4
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Events/Festivals Bars/Venues Cleaning Contractors/Factories Supermarkets Council Schools
The guides will consist of a combination of BA recommended alternatives and real life examples of organisations which have made the transition away from single-use plastic items. The guides will offer key insights into the issues leading organisations faced when transitioning, as well provide advice for stakeholders in the community looking to follow suit. In addition the guides will include key campaign collateral for community members to use, to apply pressure to each sector that refuses to make the transition away from single-use plastic (letter templates, petition templates and campaign strategy). Phase 2: Implementation and standardised community template rollout The Boomerang Alliance will be implementing the Communities Taking Control program in two select coastal communities during 2017 - Noosa/Sunshine Coast in Queensland and Wollongong in NSW. During the implementation phase BA will be treating the process as case studies in their own right in order to develop the final ‘Communities Taking Control’ template that can be adopted by any community wishing to systematically address single-use plastics. BA will use Wollongong and Noosa to track momentum of the initiatives being adopted by stakeholders; document community feedback; along with issues faced and the measures to overcome them - in order to provide advice for future communities wishing to implement a CTC initiative.
Action Plan Develop Collateral ● BA is currently looking to finalise partnerships for developing the CTC collateral ● Discuss with existing players and develop and obtain buy-in for community plan proposal Deadline for completion of collateral: May - June 2017 Form a committee with key local agencies ● Currently seeking champions from the following; o Councils o Chamber of Commerce o Hospitality/café businesses/retailers o Plastic free/environment, waterway and community organisations o Tourism operators o Marine related shops o Schools/education facilities in area o Local festivals o Local/regional media agencies
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BA will be contacting local media to participate as media partners to promote the CTC plan, featuring key players and activities in regular articles. Deadline for community committees: May 2017 Meetings to commence with all stakeholders in April 2017. Agreement ● Draft and agree upon a Communities Taking Control: reducing your plastic footprint ‘plan’ with objectives, roles and responsibilities, timelines and budget. ● Monitor progress through periodic partnership meetings, feedback from participating organisations and review. Deadline for agreement: June 2017 Implementation ● Roll out of plan program ● Regular update/progress meetings ● Boomerang Alliance suggests a start date of July for the campaign to coincide with the Plastic Free July community campaign across Australia. Rollout period July-August 2017 We intend to feature a major CTC session at our proposed marine plastic pollution conference in October 2017. Goals In the first year, we want: ● Councils – to promote CTC program, adjust any regulations to support business/community organisation changes to practice, collection services and audit on plastic reductions at landfill, provide funding for program elements ● Chamber of Commerce – to promote the program to members and assist in coordination of program. Audit reduced disposable plastics purchased by business ● Hospitality/café businesses - to participate in program by adopting new practices and being promoters/educators to their customers, assist with funding for program elements ● Local plastic free/environment and community organisations – to adopt plastic free arrangements for any events. Promote reducing plastic footprint kits and practices ● Surf shops/schools – to promote the program to their customers and change any relevant practices, assist with funding of program elements ● Schools/education facilities in area – to run plastic free events, educate parents on reducing plastics in school and promote plastic footprint reduction ● Local Festivals – to promote the program and arrange for only compostable food ware and reusable plastic cups at venue Boomerang Alliance - will play a coordinating role engaging with all partners, keeping the program on track and assisting with advice as required. We want local ownership so participants will be running most of activities and engagement. As much as possible BA will participate in face to face activities but will more likely only be in locations for one week per month. Monitor and Reporting ● Auditing of procurement/waste levels/litter/experiences 6
● Report produced on plan and outcomes to provide other communities with a template for plastic free action. Various intervals between August-October 2017 Campaign Committees BA is currently looking for interested community stakeholders in Noosa (QLD) and Wollongong (NSW) to 2 form a working group to develop, execute and monitor the initiative. The Committee will be the drivers of the initiative and should be representative of the community’s voice. We are seeking the input of members of local council, chamber of commerce, tourism, waste and recycling, local business, schools, universities, festival and event organisers, bar/cafe owners as well as national NGOs and grassroots initiatives. Committee members will be invited to participate in meetings and contribute to the continued development of the campaign over the 2017-year. For those who are interested in getting involved please see ‘Partnership Opportunities’ below.
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It is understood that accurate measurement of progress can be a complex matter. BA is investigating methods such as – pre and post CTC purchasing by businesses, school canteens; litter hot spot counts; plastic packaging of weekly basket of goods; pre and post CTC event use of plastic, etc. Ideas welcome.
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Partnership Opportunity Overview The Boomerang Alliance is excited to collaborate with interested parties who are passionate about putting an end to single-use plastic pollution within communities. BA is looking for active organisations who would like to participate in the following roles: (1) Development of Collateral: This would include contributing to the intellectual material that forms the basis of the campaigns messaging and recommendations. BA is seeking the input of experienced individuals with specific knowledge about the following sectors transitioning away from single-use plastics: (a) Individual: Behavioural change - Refuse/Reduce/Reuse (b) Council: Capacity to initiate and implement change within the community and impose conditions (c) Retailer of Food Business: Behavioural change - business practices (d) Factory/Cleaning Contractor: Behavioural change - business practices (e) Events/Festivals: Event management strategies + logistics (f) Bar/Venues: Behavioural change - business practices (g) Supermarkets: Business practices/ community campaigning (h) Schools: Education material + P&C + targeted programs Organisations who wish to contribute to the development of one or more of the above will join a working group with a designated BA staff member(s). Partners are encouraged to offer insight into first-hand experience in dealing with single-use plastic in the specific field, as well as offer recommended strategies based on evidence that will aid stakeholders once the guides are available. Field work: BA intends to conduct a range of ‘case studies’ for each sector, which may include partners visiting establishments first hand to gain insight into how a business/organisation transitioned away from plastic. BA believes this is a crucial element of the CTC plan as it will give substance to the collateral and offer key insights, that we hope will enable organisations to make the switch to sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic. Facilitating Role: Whilst the Boomerang Alliance will be conducting studies internally, we realise that often organisations know far more than we do based on resources and time spent in the field. Acknowledging this, BA aims to play a facilitating role in this campaign where our main focus will be campaign strategy and direction. BA is interested in shining the spotlight on organisations who are already engaged in fantastic initiatives and are looking to increase their messaging to a critical mass. We believe that through rare partnership opportunities like this, BA and partnering organisations can mutually benefit by producing a 8
collaborative document of a high standard, pool resources, gain the attention of local, state and federal MP’s, coordinate an approach that is designed around careful campaign strategy, objectives and long term goals and achieve systemic community wide change, which would otherwise be unachievable. IP: All information BA receives from partners that is used in the CTC collateral will be acknowledged and referenced. Branding opportunities by genuine plastic reduction efforts or agencies will also be available on collateral as well as social media, local and national media through BA’s existing networks. (2) Community Committee: BA is looking for partners to join a committee in both Noosa and Wollongong who will aid in the development, execution and monitoring of the initiative. Partners who sign up to the committee will be encouraged to contribute in the following ways: 1. Develop goals and targets for CTC: ‘Community measure of success’ 2. Inform the committee of current issues with plastic pollution in community: Litter hot spots, bin allocations, issues with collection/services 3. Inform the committee of current initiatives and programs that exist to address single-use plastic in the community: Identify where synergies exist, potential for initiatives specific to the region 4. Develop and coordinate strategies to implement CTC in July: Utilise volunteer base within local organisations, harmonise messaging across media platforms, contact local news and ensure the plans are well known and advertised. 5. Coordinate an information night for broader community engagement: Given it is a community initiative, thought needs to go to how the entire community can have their say. 6. Develop sign up, incentives and a monitoring mechanism for the initiative: Brainstorm capacity for incentive/long term procurement of organisations/businesses signing up to initiative and reducing single-use plastic. 7. Develop a community covenant: that restricts new business/organisations/buildings operating without regard to single use plastics and litter management strategies. *During the course of the year roles, responsibilities and agendas may change and or develop accordingly.
For more information on partnership involvement contact: Noosa QLD committee interest- Toby Hutcheon, m: 0451 513 144,
[email protected] Wollongong NSW committee interest - Jeff Angel, w: 02 9211 5022,
[email protected] Partnership collaboration on CTC collateral- Andy Gray m: 0450 132 150 ,
[email protected]
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Partnership form: For those wishing to join the CTC campaign please fill out the following and email back to:
[email protected] .
Partner declaration:
I (enter name) _____________________ from (enter organisation) ______________________________ wish to take part in the CTC campaign in (enter Wollongong or Noosa) _______________. I wish to be directly involved in (enter Development of Collateral or Community Committee) _____________________________. I declare that all information recorded for the purpose of CTC will be accurate and true to the best of my knowledge. Any information that can not be verified has not been included in the case study.
Date_____________ Signature___________________
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Appendix 1. ITEM
SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE PRACTICE
Plastic water bottle
Use reusable bottle/collection through a CRS
Polystyrene/plastic coffee cup/lid
Ban and replace with reusable/paper cups/lids (Policy on takeaway TBC)
Plastic straw
Ban and replace with reusable item (if at all)
Plastic food ware (plate, knife, fork, spoon, cup)
No single use plastic, only reusable/compostable products
Lightweight plastic bags
Ban, replace with reusables
Heavier plastic bags
Include in ban/introduce levy
Plastic bin liners
Not used/possible limited use of compostable bag with kerbside
Identified personal care products
No plastic microbeads/containers should either be reusable or compostable
Takeaway containers
Not used/only BYO/compostable products
Polystyrene packaging
Banned/ subject to EPR on reusable-recycled packaging
Plastic film (food packaging)
Avoid/alternative wrap
Helium balloons
No mass releases
Bait bags
Bring own reusable container/leave bag at bait shop/take back scheme
Fishing Tackle
Take home/place in dedicated collection bin
Polyester clothing
Avoid/use natural fabrics. Introduce filters in washing machines
Six pack ring pulls/plastic wrap around products
Not to be used/or use genuinely compostable alternatives
Beverage containers (glass, aluminium, LPB and plastic)
Subject to Container Refund Scheme
Retailer plastic packaging (food/putrescible)
Review unnecessary packaging/health and safety requirements and identify alternative practice and product (see BA bag policy)
Including barrier bags, trays, plastic film and bags without handles Retailer plastic packaging (non-putrescible)
Eliminate secondary plastic packaging and review health and safety requirements; 11
Including barrier bags, trays, plastic film, bubble wrap and bags without handles plus secondary packaging
identify alternative practice and products
Microplastic litter: film, pellets, fibres, beads and fragments derived from plastic products (eg. clothing, tyres, cigarette filters)
Remove from use, find alternatives, enforce financial penalties for littering Awareness campaign
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