Petone street builds green credentials

Petone’s main street is on its way to being the most sustainable group of shops in New Zealand.

With initiatives such as a cloth shopping bag swap programme and a reusable cup scheme, Jackson St is making moves in all corners to reduce waste.

July 1 marks one year since the Ministry for the Environment banned single-use plastic bags, resulting in an estimated

1.1 billion of the bags being saved from ending up in the environment, a ministry spokesperson said.

Jackson St Programme co-ordinator Hellen Swales said the street housed 220 businesses with quite diverse offerings, and tailoring solutions to suit them all was a priority.

‘‘When the Ministry for the Environment decided that low-hanging fruit was to get rid of single-use plastic bags, we were already in that space of thinking, ‘How can we be more sustainable?’ ’’

The street was hugely diverse, with a third of its shops run by migrants. Businesses range from fish and chip shops to party supplies, boutique designer clothing, dental practices and law firms.

The programme comprised an overarching set of priorities and goals, communicated to each business, about ecofriendly decisions and products.

By the time the plastic bag ban was announced, the street had already launched its reusable bag programme, Boomerang Bags, the week before.

‘‘We had already got all the materials and all the awareness. We made sure everyone was included in the messaging and what was expected,’’ Swales said.

People could borrow a bag, made by the local time bank, from a store and then return it to another store when they were done.

The programme also promoted a cup cycling programme, with five of the street’s cafes taking part.

Made by Cupcycling, a Hutt Valley company, the cups could be bought from cafes for $5 and either reused or swapped anywhere in Wellington for a clean one.

Uptake had been slow after Covid-19, but Dandelion Cafe owner Robyn Attewell said that at the scheme’s peak they were saving about 20 single-use cups a day from going to landfill.

Party supply store The Celebrations Collective promoted the use of paper or wood over plastic, and discouraged people from letting balloons float away as part of their celebrations. Owner Fay Drysdale said the programme was encouraging to be part of.

‘‘When you’re in business on your own it’s nice to have businesses around you doing the same thing.’’

STUFF The Jackson St Programme aims to find eco-friendly solutions for the street’s 220 businesses. Top right: Todd Selak, of The Celebrations Collective, fetches a reusable cake tin. Right: Dandelion Cafe barista Zdena Roddick makes a coffee in a Cupcycling reusable cup.