Because sustainability matters!
The Australian Federal Government is pledging that in the next seven years, 100% of our country’s packaging will be compostable, recyclable or reusable. This is a great initiative to roll out to keep our skies blue. Although, this will be terrific for the environment and for the generations to come, how will cafes, restaurants and suppliers be impacted? Should cafes and restaurants start to implement this before they are forced? Why hasn’t Australia started this sooner?
Australia has been selling waste to China since the early 2000’s and now China is implementing a new plan to stop this. In 2013, China realised the concerns around their pollution and have applied many initiatives since then, including eco-industrial parks. Australia is following suit, as China has banned purchasing our waste. Australia has limited local markets for household recyclables like paper, plastics and glass, so we rely heavily on overseas markets like China to buy and reprocess the waste. Some parts of Australia have started to ship overseas to countries other than China. This is a quick fix to the problem and not a long term solution for anyone.
Restaurant owners, cafes and suppliers are starting to see push back from customers who are starting to frown upon over packaging, forcing venues, outlets and manufacturers alike to come up with new ideas. Styrofoam, plastic, some paper and cardboard, are all non-recyclable materials. There is a move to Eco-friendly packaging, in many cases the cost difference is negligible. Bio-degradable bamboo, palm leaf, bagasse (sugarcane), CPLA (plant based), glassine and cardboards with grease resistant linings are all great options for restaurants and cafes to choose.
In most main city areas, you can find eco-friendly packaging in many cafes and restaurants. More and more cafes are implementing this without being forced. Check your next takeaway coffee cup to see if it is eco-friendly, compostable and made from 100% recycled materials. You may find many cafes will even give you a discount if you BYO cup.
Having said that, a major convenience store has banned the BYO cup amidst bacterial and health issues arising from this personal item. This has caused much kick back from the media and no doubt, its clientele.
There are many simple sustainability choices for restaurant and cafes owners. The 2017 study by researchers at Cardiff University found that giving customers the option of a discount for a BYO cup did not encourage enough people to make the switch. In fact combining a BYO cup discount with an extra charge for a disposable cup could increase the use of reusable cups by 12.5%. This would save 300 million disposable cups per year!
This is the first step on a long journey to change the global recycling system. We hope to see a change in the way we use and dispose of packaging. Improving our carbon footprint has never been more important.