Welcome to the Cool Club.....
SINGLE USE PLASTIC BAN – NSW
First and foremost a massive congratulations and welcome to NSW to the “ban single use plastics” club for cool kids… ok its not actually a club and I just made it up now, and I am the only one in it, well actually no my state (QLD) is in it too by default because I live here sooo….. my club has like over 5.2 Million People in it whether they know it or not it is another story.
But in all seriousness, now that we have that sorted I do want to take a moment to congratulate NSW for becoming the third state to ban most single use plastics by the end of 2022.
Photo Cred: Ryde Govt
Whilst one of the last players to ban the single use plastic bag, they are making up for it by a sweet overhaul of their laws regarding single use plastics (SUP)in their state. NSW will come out strong and will ban over ½ of the “Priority Plastic” in one hit starting June 2022. “This legislation is expected to stop 2.7 billion single-use items from ending up in our natural environment and waterways over the next 20 years and is a game-changer in the fight against plastic waste across our state,” Mr Kean said. For those of you who don’t know Mr Kean is the Treasurer and Energy and Environment Minister and understands that the work we do now by ridding the world of SUP and making reusable alternatives the norm is how we win the game and the war on plastic pollution.
NSW has laid out the strategy and will be the first state to ban microbeads mainly found in cosmetics and makeup. Microbeads are little critters found in stuff like facewash, foundation etc. and they are bad for the environment as they don’t break down when we add water to them. They are made to act as a friction force when you are scrubbing your skin as such. Anyhow wastewater treatment systems can’t capture them, so they go out to the water ways. They can clog up marine life’s digestive system but also the toxins made to keep the plastic beads whole and strong get absorbed by the fish, you may eat the fish and therefore eat the toxins… yummy… note to self it doesn’t work like collagen (these microbeads will not preserve you). So, for NSW to remove these critters is huge, they are not just focusing on removing waste and useless rubbish from circulation but ensuring we have the healthiest wildlife and the closest to natural environment we can have especially in this cray cray world of evolving technology etc.
Hey NSW there will be an adjustment period, no doubt about it, it takes a bit to get use too… I know as well as most Queenslanders and South Australian’s do that the ban does bring across some obstacles. Obstacles that test commitment to how much you want that coffee or (is it worth popping a u-turn to go back and get your keep cup). It is A change YES and like most changes even if it is for the better is always accompanied by discomforts. But as we navigate these changes as a state and as a nation we learn new ways to adapt to change and see the benefits very much out weight the obstacles.
Companies like ours are born through these changing and challenging times to help us navigate the obstacles. Our mission at SUCKITUPstraws is to make reusable alternatives more accessible and affordable as single use. Initially being a retail reusable straw company, we expanded to serve hospitality businesses replace their single use straws with reusable alternatives. We then helped solve their problem of cleaning reusable straws by inventing the worlds first and only way to clean 100 reusable straws. We have saved hundreds of business thousands of $$ in single use straws, cutlery, cups etc.
How about you as a consumer? You may think you are not saving money as the end user but that’s because your straw and packaging of your drink, food is incorporated into what you pay for your meal. And prices are increasing for these materials as well – when was the last time your local / small café, restaurant put the prices up on their services? Trust me when I tell you their packaging costs are going up all the time, eating into their profits. Some places will even knock off $.50c if you bring in a keep cup or something right? And by even helping our your local by bringing your own reusable straw, cup, container you are also doing your part for our fight for a sustainable future. Did you know that for each reusable straw you buy you remove over 500 single use straws from circulation? Crazy huh?? Got a netball team or a cocktail crew?? Buy 10 as gifts etc, get them printed boom…. Not only are you super cool and apart of club like my cool club but you now are responsible for removing over 5000 single use bits of rubbish from our waterways, landfills environment… worthy of a mention I feel.
What a way to kick of 2022 hey…. Well done NSW! Welcome to the cool club. Have a think guys if there are businesses you know out there that could do with a little help especially in NSW, QLD or SA where SUP straws will be banned pass on our info about the reusable straws and cleaning solution as well start thinking how you can help them keep a sustainable profit as well as keeping a sustainable environment.
Chur Chur
Welcome to 2022!!! Let’s make it the year we go out and start thinking about more than our selves and what is convenient for us.