Stop it and Swap it this Plastic Free July

To mark the beginning of Plastic Free July, the NSW Government is partnering with 17 organisations to help communities around the state stop using single-use plastic.

Minister for Environment James Griffin said the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is delivering funding to community champions to inspire others.

“The NSW Government is on a mission to reduce our reliance on problematic single-use plastics because we need to seriously decrease the amount of plastic entering our environment as litter or landfill,” Mr Griffin said.

"To coincide with Plastic Free July, we’re delivering almost $900,000 in funding support for 17 organisations to educate communities. As we pivot away from single-use plastics, these community partnerships will help drive necessary change.

“Our community partners, such as Surfing NSW, the Men’s Shed Association and Take 3 are will help us by tapping into local networks, ideas and creativity to deliver mass behavior change.”

Organisations partnering with the NSW EPA include the Great Plastic Rescue, which supports businesses with excess lightweight single-use plastic bags by offering a service for collection and reprocessing of that stock.

OzGreen and Green Music Australia will work with music festivals and food vendors to introduce more sustainable ways of doing business.

Education campaigns will also be launched through Girl Guides and Mens’ Sheds across the state.

From 1 June, lightweight single-use plastic bags were banned in NSW. From November, the NSW Government is banning additional single-use items, including plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, bowls and cotton buds, expanded polystyrene food ware and cups, and rinse-off personal care products containing plastic microbeads.

Single-use plastic items and packaging make up 60 per cent of all litter in NSW. The ban will prevent almost 2.7 billion items of plastic litter from entering the environment in NSW over the next 20 years.

Sustainability partners include:

• Girl Guides NSW
• Green Connect
• Green Music Australia
• KU Children's Services
• Meals on Wheels NSW
• Men’s Shed Association
• NSW Environment & Zoo Education Centres
• OzGreen
• Plastic Free July
• Southern Cross University
• Surfing NSW
• TAFE NSW/Addison Road Community Organisation
• Take 3
• The Great Plastic Rescue
• University of New England
• University of Newcastle
• University of Wollongong

For more information about the NSW plastics ban, visit http://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/plastics-ban

For ideas on how to stop it and swap it this Plastic Free July, visit https://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/our-work/environment-heritage/plastics-action-plan/stop-it-swap-it