South Australia's First Plastic Free Precincts involved in the voluntary trial are:
- The Adelaide Central Market
- The Parade at Norwood
- Jetty Road Brighton Traders
- Surf Life Saving South Australia - 21 clubs
On 13 January 2019, the Minister for Environment and Water, the Hon David Speirs MP released a discussion paper Turning the tide on single-use plastic products for six weeks of consultation which closed on 22 February 2019. We sought feedback from the community and businesses on how we can better protect our natural resources and the environment from the impact of single-use plastic products. More than 3,500 plus submissions made it clear there’s considerable community and industry support for increasing measures to address a range of single-use plastic products and other items. The majority of respondents want government to take the lead. A summary of the public consultation is available here. Acknowledging the strong appetite for change in the community and the results from the broad consultation, the government has developed legislation to phase-out single-use plastic products and other single-use items. The Plastic Free Precinct pilots are identifying opportunities and challenges associated with transitioning away from single-use plastic products and have informed the legislation.
What is a precinct?
The focus of the pilot program is on the hospitality, café, and food service sector. A precinct could be a local government area, a high concentration of traders within a hub like a marketplace, major retail centres like shopping centre complexes, proactive city/suburban street/block with a high density of traders, or even a series of sites linked by a common activity like sporting venues, entertainment venues, surf lifesaving venues or retail outlets.
How will the pilot program work?
We have engaged the Boomerang Alliance, working in partnership with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation to develop, implement and manage the plastic free pilot precinct program. The Boomerang Alliance will provide on-the-ground support for participating businesses and community sites to make the transition away from single-use plastics towards reusable, recyclable or compostable alternatives. As a minimum requirement, the precinct should focus on:
- Plastic drinking straws
- Single-use coffee cups
- Plastic beverage containers
- Plastic bags (all types)
- Take-away plastic serving ware (cutlery etc)
- Take-away polystyrene food packaging
A local coordinator works closely with precinct partners such as council and trader associations to keep the program on track, provide advice and support for participants as required and report on progress and outcomes. Ideally, the plastic free precinct should be self-sustaining beyond the duration of the pilot which should run for 12 months.
Further information:
Alana Potts, Green Industries SA
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