Teamwork Makes the Dream Work. The City of Fremantle, Town of East Fremantle, Fremantle Ports and the Department of Communities have joined forces with Our Kinds to make it easier for locals to choose reusable beyond Plastic Free July.
Twelve cafés in Fremantle and East Fremantle are now trialling a ‘reusable takeaway coffee cup model’ that makes it easy for cafés to offer reusables at scale. The 3-month trial aims to reduce the estimated 190 million single-use coffee cups used in Western Australia each year.
Patrons will be able to scan the QR code associated with their reusable cup and each time a QR code is scanned it will add to the total amount of single-use coffee cups avoided over trial period. Rinsed cups can then be returned to any participating café or patrons can choose to reuse them for their next coffee.
Check out this video for more information about the trial as well as a list of participating cafés where you and your communities can be part of the change.
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Choose to Up Cup! Bring, Borrow, Stay. Billions of takeaway coffee cups are consumed and disposed of worldwide each year, and coffee lovers are now being rallied to make better cup choices to reduce plastic waste.
The Plastic Free July Choose to Up Cup initiative is about encouraging the community to think about what to do when they forget their keep-cup, such as going to a café that allows them to borrow a cup or choosing to stay and enjoy their coffee in the café.
And there’s no time like the present to turn the tide as single-use plastic coffee cups and lids are included in Stage 2 of Western Australia’s Plan for Plastics which will commence in 2023.
Spread the word about choosing to up cup and get your coffee-loving communities to join the #UpCup challenge to share a photo on social media with their favourite cup for the rest of July and onward.
Pictured (top image, clockwise from left to right): Environment Minister Reece Whitby, Fremantle Ports CEO Michael Parker, Rebecca James, City of Fremantle Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge, Plastic Free July Founder Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, Lisa Hooyer, Town of East Fremantle Mayor Jim O’Neill, Connor Warn and Kelly Levisohn at the launch of the Plastic Free July Choose to Up Cup initiative. Image Credit: City of Fremantle and Town of East Fremantle.
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WasteSorted Community Education Grants Now Open
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Applications are now open for community education projects which can improve awareness of the need to reduce waste.
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WasteSorted Community Education Grants provide funding of up to $25,000 per project to improve waste behaviour in ways that support the aims of the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 (Waste Strategy). The Waste Strategy contains objectives to avoid waste, recover more value and resources from waste, and protect the environment.
Preference in the 2022/23 funding round will be given to projects which:
- Communicate messages for behaviour change consistent with the ‘WasteSorted’ and ‘Be a GREAT Sort’ communications materials.
- Develop and implement targeted waste behaviour change initiatives with an emphasis on focus materials.
These grants are open to community groups, not-for-profit organisations, charitable recycling organisations, Local Governments, Regional Councils, peak industry bodies, businesses and educational institutes.
Applications close at 12:00pm on Monday, 5 September 2022.
Register here for the WasteSorted Community Education Grants Information Session or visit the Waste Authority website to find out more.
Image Credit: Waste Authority.
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Don’t Forget to Submit for the Perfect Pitch
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Back for the 2022 Waste & Recycle Conference, the Perfect Pitch is the quintessential opportunity to showcase your innovative waste management solution!
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If you’re an entrepreneur in the Waste and Resource Recovery area with an idea that could be the next big waste management solution, then get ready to present your Perfect‑Pitch to the panel of Waste Management ‘Sharks’ who will each have $1,000 inclusive GST to invest in your potential enterprise.
Outline your business ideas and progress to date in the submission form and make sure to send it through by Monday, 15 August 2022.
Image Credit: AdobeStock 336149840.
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Keep Australia Beautiful Week
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From 15 to 21 August, everyone is being encouraged to get involved with a Keep Australia Beautiful Council (KABC) Program and make a difference to reduce our impact on the environment.
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During Keep Australia Beautiful Week, Local Governments can help mobilise action to reduce litter by:
- Sharing the KABC anti-litter campaign and socials through communications networks
- Including links on how to get involved in newsletters, email communications and socials
- Participating in the Adopt-a-Spot Program
- Organising bespoke community or workplace clean up events
- Promoting ways to refuse single-use items that can become litter.
Need more inspiration? Visit the Keep Australia Beautiful WA website.
Pictured: City of Albany clean-up event. Image Credit: Keep Australia Beautiful Council WA.
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1.5 Billion Container Milestone
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Congratulations WA! Since the commencement of the Container Deposit Scheme on 1‑October‑2020, 1.5 billion 10c containers have been collected through Containers for Change.
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Laid end to end, that’s enough 10c containers to wrap around the earth 6.8 times! This has led to Western Australia becoming one of the leading container recycling jurisdictions in the nation by recycling 64% of 10c containers consumed.
But there’s still more to do as 530 million 10c containers – $53 million in refunds – were estimated to have been thrown into General Waste bins in homes, workplaces, venues and events around WA in just the past year.
From fundraising, donating to a favourite charity or earning some pocket money, there are many ways for your communities to participate. Check out the Containers for Change website or socials to find out more.
Image Credit: Western Australia Return Recycle Renew Limited.
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Round 5 RED Grants Now Open
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The fifth round of the Regional Economic Development (RED) Grants are now open till Wednesday, 24‑August‑2022.
The grants will provide $5 million towards projects that support jobs, expand or diversify industry, develop skills, increase business productivity and attract new investment to the regions.
More information about the RED Grants Program, including guidelines and application details, are available from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development website or through the State's nine Regional Development Commissions.
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Waste and Resource Recovery Data Hub
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The Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, established on 1‑July‑2022, has released its Recycling Modernisation Fund data viewer on its Waste and Resource Recovery Data Hub.
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The Recycling Modernisation Fund (RMF) data viewer allows users to search RMF funded projects by jurisdiction and location, filter projects by material type and facility type, and provides detailed information on investment and more.
The National Waste data viewer is another interactive tool available on the Data Hub where users can search for material, waste stream, time period or jurisdiction.
Now’s your chance to explore new and existing waste data insights through interactive maps and graphs by visiting the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water website.
Image Credit: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
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Battery Stewardship Scheme Information Session for Local Government
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This Information Session will provide an update for how Local Governments can participate in B‑cycle, the National Battery Stewardship Scheme. WALGA will provide context as to what is currently happening with batteries in Western Australia. B-cycle accredited collector, sorter and recycler Envirostream will outline their battery collection options available for WA Local Governments.
When: 1:00pm to 2:00pm on Tuesday, 9 August.
Where: Online. Register here.
For further details, email the WALGA HHW Program Coordinator or call on (08)‑9213‑2062.
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Updated Better Practice FOGO Contracting Guidelines Joint Workshop
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The consultation period for the Better Practice FOGO Contracting Guidelines has been extended and feedback is now due by Friday, 5 August. The Joint Workshop has been rescheduled and participants are requested to review the draft Guidelines prior to attending.
When: 1:30pm to 3:00pm on Tuesday, 16 August.
Where: Online. Register here.
To obtain a copy of the draft Guidelines and feedback from the initial Local Government Workshop, email Samuel Lawson, MRA Consulting Group Environmental Consultant.
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HHW Program
The Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Program was established to provide Western Australians with a safe, and free, disposal option for unwanted household products that contain chemicals or substances that can be harmful to people or the environment. Find out more here.
Image Credit: WALGA.
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Bin Tagging Program
The Bin Tagging Program focuses on reducing contamination and increasing resource recovery from kerbside bin systems by using a combination of information provision, incentives and enforcement. Click here to find out how your Local Government can get involved.
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WALGA COVID-19 Updates
Read the latest sector-relevant information as it relates to COVID-19. These ad-hoc communications are released as State Government announcements are made. Click here to access the archive. To register to receive these updates via email, click here.
Image Credit: WA Government.
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Waste is the Word
Want to share your waste management successes, promote a new project, have a key question answered or collaborate with other Local Governments? We want to include your waste management issues in our next newsletter.
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Resources
WALGA operates prequalified supply contracts to access goods and services at market preferential rates. We have Preferred Supplier arrangements in place for a range of Waste Management, Parks and Gardens, and Environmental services to support service delivery and sustainability within the sector.
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