IT’S LAST DRINKS FOR PLASTICS
A TOWNSVILLE cafe has been recognised for its waste reduction efforts, and was the chosen location for a plastic-free initiative announcement.
Boomerang Alliance Queensland manager Toby Hutcheon said the launch of the Plastic-free Townsville program would take place in the new year, and he wanted other businesses in hospitality to implement practices used by cafe Kell’s Kitchen and Brew Bar in Hermit Park.
“We’ve focused on reducing plastic litter and plastic waste in the community and with the hospitality industry to reduce single-use plastics,” he said.
“It’s a voluntary scheme where we engage with cafe owners and talk and explain to them how they can switch from single-use plastics to reusable food ware or compostable food.
“We also work with all the suppliers.”
Kell’s Kitchen and Brew Bar owner Kelly Bolger said her cafe offered incentives to encourage customers to be sustainable by offering a discount on coffee to those who brought their own reusable coffee cups and using a scrap bin.
“I’m really proud. It was a no-brainer when I first opened the cafe to think of not introducing plastics to start with, and it’s the best way of keeping my carbon footprint down,” she said. “We also give away coffee grinds for coffee body scrubs.”
Ms Bolger, who also has the contract for the Hermit Park State School tuck shop, said children had asked her to stop using plastic straws, and she now offered cardboard ones.