Land and Sea - Plastic Free

Land and Sea - Plastic Free - making Kiama Municipality plastic shopping bag-free; an initiative of Kiama Municipal Council and Kiama Tidy Towns Committee.

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Background

Australia uses some six billion plastic bags each year, many of which end up being thrown away. More than 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles are killed worldwide every year by plastic rubbish.

Plastic rubbish on beaches is a menace to marine life. Some rubbish can take a long time to break down and can kill wildlife. It can be said that the ocean's deadliest predator is the plastic bag because it can go on killing and choking many animals for years! The Kiama Pelican died as a result consuming over fifteen plastic bags.

The Kiama Municipality is renowned for its natural beauty, pristine beaches, scenic coastal and rural environments. The environmental policies, programs and initiatives of Kiama Municipal Council in partnership with the Kiama Tidy Towns Committee and all sectors of the community have received state and national recognition.

The Land and Sea - Plastic Free campaign, is another initiative to actively involve all sectors of the community, including visitors, in ongoing programs to promote the use of alternatives to plastic shopping bags.

The aims of this campaign are:

• for the Kiama Municipality to become plastic bag-free
• to form partnerships with all sectors of the community, government and non-government organisations to participate in local, regional and national programs to promote the use of sustainable alternatives to plastic shopping bags
• to raise community awareness of the potential adverse impacts of plastic bags on the environment wildlife and marine life.

To assist in the implementation of programs in the Land and Sea - Plastic Free campaign, a subcommittee of the Tidy Towns Committee has been established. The programs will be implemented over the next two years, depending upon availability of support and funding.

The programs include:

Program 1: Snapshot survey of retail businesses and community using alternatives to plastic bags

Program 2: Kiama Independent retail ambassador

Program 3: Community presentations

Program 4: Tourist Sustainable Living program

Program 5: Kiama Markets Plastic Bags-Free campaign

Program 6: Two Bags Full promotion

Program 7: Say 'No' to plastic shopping bags promotional activities