Page 65 - Tropic Magazine Issue 12

Lifestyle
Environment

More than just a festival

The annual ECOFiesta event by
Cairns Regional Council served
as an essential guide to a more
sustainable lifestyle. Last straw
The fourth annual ECOfiesta is over, but containers and prohibits the sale or use “We appeal to the community and
its legacy can last much longer than the of bottled water, plastic straws and local businesses to make an
day-long festival held at the Cairns plastic bags. This has virtually effort to look at how they can
Cruise Liner Terminal on 3 June. eliminated single-use plastics from the reduce straws and single-use
Dubbed Cairns’ “sustainable living event. plastics in their operations to
festival”, this free community event However, with over 10,000 people contribute to a cleaner and
combined environmentally friendly attending the event, large volumes of healthier Great Barrier Reef.”
products and sustainable living ideas single-use compostable eating and Cairns Mayor Bob Manning,
with fun, fashion, food and drinking utensils were still being speaking at the announcement of
entertainment. It was a one-stop-shop generated each year. Council’s ban on plastic straws
for eco-inspiration, with more than 100 So, this year the #choosetoreuse and other single-use plastics
exhibitors showcased products and initiative was introduced with a from its operations
services to help residents save on energy centralised dish-wash and reuse system
and water bills, reduce waste and make used to further reduce waste.
the most of our tropical lifestyle. ECOfiesta Food Trucks provided
The event celebrated 30 years of Wet reusable crockery and cutlery with
Tropics World Heritage rainforest and festival goers encouraged to take their
highlighted a variety of initiatives dirty dishes to a dish washing marquee
introduced by Cairns Regional Council where volunteers washed the utensils
to help reduce our impact on the so they could be re-used!
environment. The cleaning and sanitising of reusable
#choosetoreuse eating and drinking utensils was done
As a waste-wise event, ECOfiesta in accordance with Food Standards
required food and drink vendors to use Australia Guidelines for Cleaning and
compostable food packaging and eating Sanitising Surfaces and Utensils.
utensils, compostable or recyclable drink MORE: cairns.qld.gov.au

In the bag

Big changes are coming to your Some bags, perhaps equally
shopping experience in July, and it’s all surprisingly, are not included in the
to do with plastic bags. The ban. Barrier bags for unpackaged
Queensland Government is banning perishable food such as fruit,
certain plastic bags from July 1 in a bid vegetables, meat and fish, garbage
to cut down on the staggering one bags and bin liners, plastic nappy bags
billion single-use lightweight plastic and dog poo bags provided by councils
shopping bags that are used across the at parks and beaches will all remain in
state every year. It may come as a use.
surprise to some that compostable, The key tip is to remember your
degradable and biodegradable bags reusable bag whenever you go
are included in the ban, because they shopping, and it would be wise to keep
break down in the environment the some spares in your car.
same way as conventional plastic bags MORE: qld.gov.au/plasticbagban
and still cause harm to the
environment and wildlife.