Darwin City Council outlaws single use plastic, helium balloons from January 2019

All single-use plastic will be banned at Darwin City Council events and from market stalls on council land from January 1 next year — which could see more than 1,000 disposable coffee cups saved from landfill each market day.

Volunteers recorded nearly 1,000 straws among
the waste, after a weekend Darwin market.

The ban, which would extend to helium balloons on council land, was decided at a Darwin City Council meeting last night.

It came as supermarket chain Coles today backed down from a planned plastic bag ban in other states, instead opting to hand out free thicker reusable plastic bags indefinitely.

Alderman Emma Young said a plan providing more detail about the transition would be finalised before the end of the year.

Read the ABC News story  - “Darwin City Council outlaws single use plastic, helium balloons from January 2019.”

Going plastic-free worldwide

There's a lot going on around the world in terms of reusable shopping bags and switching from single-use plastic to more sustainable options.

A number of communities around the world are saying 'no' to single-use plastic which is so detrimental to the environment, and are saying 'yes' to a more sustainable lifestyle.

Read the story from OnYa - “Going plastic-free worldwide.”

Freeing your life of single-use plastic

Advice from WorldWatch Institute about ridding your life of single-use plastic.

Ten things we can  do to rid our live of single-use plastic.

Here are ten things you can do:

1. Just say no to plastic bags.. Carry a tote or backpack when you’re out shopping.

2. Just say no to plastic drink bottles.   Get a water filter, Carbonate your own beverages. Carry a refillable water bottle. Select cardboard containers when you can. Prefer aluminum cans to plastic bottles: they have a much higher chance of being recycled. 

3. Stop using plastic straws. Don’ use them at all or choose to use paper or compostable sstraws. 

4. Avoid packaging-intensive foods. Shop for fresh ingredients or purchase in bulk.

5. Patronize a dry cleaner that uses reusable garment bags.

6. Boycott microbeads. Don’t buy beauty products, toothpaste, body washes where ‘polypropylene’ and ‘polyethylene’ are listed as ingredients.

7. Buy laundry and other detergents in cardboard boxes instead of plastic.

8. Avoid plastic containers for juices, condiments in plastic squeeze bottles, etc..

9. Bring your own thermos to the coffee shop.