Plastic Wise Markets in Darwin Embrace the Switch

City of Darwin’s commitment to reducing waste is well and truly in action, with stallholders and the community working alongside Council to phase out single use plastics at all Council events and markets held on Council land.

“The phasing out of single use plastics at Council events and markets on Council land officially began on 1 January 2019 and the response from the community has been very encouraging,” said Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis.

“Even at this early stage, it is clear that there is a reduction to the amount of single use plastics being thrown away and an increase in the number of customers bringing their own reusable containers to the markets.”

The single use plastic ban, which includes items such as cups, straws, cutlery and food containers, is part of a four stage plan to fully phase out single use plastics from all activities on Council land by 2020.

“It is fantastic to see stallholders and the community joining forces to reduce waste.  This is a real opportunity for us to pave the way for Councils across Australia to follow suit and further reduce the amount of plastic entering our environment.”

City of Darwin has been working with market associations, stallholders and local suppliers to support the transition from single use plastics to environmentally friendly alternatives. Stallholders are asked to use up existing supplies before switching to fully compostable alternatives.

“Many stallholders began phasing out single use plastics well before 1 January and will switch to a fully compostable product such as sugarcane, bamboo or wood once their existing supplies are used up,” said the Lord Mayor.

“The community can make a real impact too by simply bringing a reusable container from home,”

“The container doesn’t need to be anything fancy and is probably already sitting in a cupboard at home ready to be filled with a delicious laksa from your favourite market,” added the Lord Mayor.

The City of Darwin Sustainable Vibrant Communities Team were onsite at the Parap Markets on Saturday with information for stallholders and curious market goers.

The Team will be visiting the Nightcliff Markets and Rapid Creek Markets over the coming weeks and invite the community to stop for a chat to learn a little more about the Plastic Wise movement.

For more information on the initiative please visit www.darwin.nt.gov.au/plasticwise