Call out to Burnie Businesses to Embrace Plastic Free Future

Published on 16 March 2022

Burnie City Council is encouraging Burnie businesses to take up the challenge to ditch single-use plastic with the help of the Plastic Free Places Tasmania project, which is supporting local businesses in selected Tasmanian municipalities to adapt and reduce plastic pollution at its source.

The 12-month project is operating from February 2022 - February 2023, and is open (FREE of charge) to any food retail businesses operating in Kingborough, Clarence, Sorell, Glamorgan/Spring Bay, Devonport and Burnie municipalities.

Plastic Free Places Tasmania is a Commonwealth funded program which provides free assistance to food retailers, helping make the transition away from single use plastics as simple as possible.

Burnie City Council Acting Mayor Giovanna Simpson said “I’m sure that there are many business owners who want to make changes, but simply don’t have the time or know where to start. That’s why we’re thrilled to be supporting this program".

Business North West President Ian Jones said “Plastic Free Places is a fantastic program full of information to help local food businesses. I would urge business owners to reach out and make the most of the program and work with the community to create a clean and green destination.”

Andrew Turner from Communion Brewing and The Chapel, two hospitality businesses that are already well along on their ‘plastic free’ journey said “it would have been very helpful to have a program such as Plastic Free Places available to us when we started up, and I encourage all Burnie businesses who are yet to transition away from single use plastics to take advantage of the program and sign up for this free assistance.”

Program Coordinator Troy Furner said “Globally, including here in Australia, single-use plastics are being banned because of the pollution they create. They’re quickly being replaced with reusable or compostable items, which customers also prefer. It's a massive win for the environment, and we look forward to assisting small businesses in Burnie with their transition. This is a tried-and-true program that we have rolled out in nine communities across Australia. We have helped businesses in these communities eliminate over 10 million pieces of single-use plastic.”

“Our program is designed to make it easy for local food retailers to adapt. We work directly with businesses, looking at what they’re using and showing them what alternatives are available to them. We can also help them recognise their role in steaming the tide of plastic waste in our environment while also reducing ongoing packaging costs and offering free promotion”.