Livingstone Shire businesses riding the plastic free wave
The Alley in Yeppoon are leading the way to a more sustainable future after becoming the first restaurant in Livingstone Shire to be crowned ‘Plastic Free Champions’ by Plastic Free CQ, a project run by peak not-for-profit group Boomerang Alliance and supported by Livingstone Shire Council.
Councillor Andrea Friend, Portfolio holder Water, Waste Management and the Environment, said Plastic Free Champions are those retailers who have completely substituted single-use plastic foodware, takeaway containers and water bottles with reusable or compostable packaging.
“The Alley owners’ commitment to eliminating single-use plastics from their first day of operation is an inspirational achievement and I’d like to congratulate owners Ben and Leah Crowley for their enthusiasm and dedication to reducing problematic packaging ending up in the environment,” Cr Friend said.
“Plastic Free CQ has been instrumental in helping local food businesses transition to more environmentally friendly alternatives since the State Government banned a number of single-use plastics from 1 September 2021.
“Over the last year, the Plastic Free CQ project has gained significant momentum with 65 Central Queensland businesses opting to participate and four of those being awarded Plastic Free Champion status.
“This initiative aligns with Livingstone’s Community Plan Towards 2050 ‘Natural Livingstone’ theme to safeguard the sustainability and environmental resilience of the region into the future.
“Choosing to go plastic free is an ideal that can be embraced by communities anywhere and I encourage those business owners who are finding it hard to make the switch, to reach out to Plastic Free CQ.”
Plastic Free CQ Coordinator Jo Stoyel said the program is a free service for all food retail businesses in both Livingstone and Rockhampton shires to help them reduce key single-use plastic items that are commonly found in the litter stream - plastic water bottles, straws, coffee/cups & lids, takeaway containers, foodware (cutlery, cups, plates etc.) and plastic bags.
“All of these items have readily available reusable or compostable alternatives - our job is to work with businesses to identify what alternatives will work best to meet their needs and where they can source them,” Ms Stoye said.
“We are very happy to announce The Alley Yeppoon as a Plastic Free Champion on the coast.”
The Alley Yeppoon owners, Ben Crowley & Leah Crowley said they first made the decision to run their business sustainably prior to opening and joined the program to identify what the best options were for them.
“Our personal values around sustainability as a priority meant it was impossible to ignore the waste and that people often litter plastic packaging, which causes problems in the environment and waterways,” Mr Crowley said.
“The Plastic Free CQ program is an amazing initiative for local CQ food retailers to join.
“I feel happy that we are doing something good for the environment and our customers always give us positive feedback about being sustainability-focused,” Leah said.
Central Queensland food businesses can join Plastic Free CQ by heading to www.plasticfreecq.org
This initiative is supported as part of Council’s Strategy for the Management of Resource Recovery and Waste in Livingstone Shire to 2030. To find out more about Council’s response to the challenge of moving from a throwaway society to a more sustainable future, download the Strategy available at https://www.livingstone.qld.gov.au/
For more information and resources on living sustainably visit: https://www.livingstone.qld.gov.au/sustainable-livingstone