Councils rethink plastic cup usage
As councillors return to work, after their post-election hiatus, even the most climate-conscious are likely to pick up the emergency declaration debate again sipping from plastic.
The irony was not lost on Marlborough councillor Michael Fitzpatrick back in July, who pointed out during a climate change discussion that plastic cups were still being used in the council’s chambers.
Figures obtained under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) show Marlborough is far from alone, with about half of New Zealand’s 78 councils using single-use plastic cups.
Councils bought close to
120,000 plastic cups last financial year, and while some were recyclable plastic, there was no guarantee where they ended up. But change could be on the way.
Fitzpatrick said Marlborough District Council made the switch to biodegradable paper cups after the media got wind of their plastic purchases.
Last year the council bought
3000 plastic recyclable cups for ‘‘customer use’’ at its Seymour St reception and Blenheim library, and 4000 for ‘‘everywhere but reception and the library’’.
‘‘You look at these things every day, but don’t realise what you’re looking at sometimes,’’
Fitzpatrick said.
He said councils were just one part of the puzzle. ‘‘Everyone’s got to participate in the movement . . . everyone’s got to show initiative,’’ he said.
Climate campaigner Budyong Hill praised councils for scrapping plastic cups, but said there was still work to be done.
‘‘It’s good to start with the small things, but there’s no point patting ourselves on the back for getting rid of plastic cups, when there are far bigger things that we have to address and keep in mind,’’ he said.
Prompted by the Local Democracy Reporter request, two councils promised to rethink their purchases.
O¯ po¯ tiki District Council chief executive Aileen Lawrie said the council would look at replacing its plastic cups.
A South Waikato District Council spokeswoman said: ‘‘While this was not specifically on our radar to review, your question has prompted us to investigate suitable alternatives for our library users . . . ’’
A Gore District Council spokeswoman, however, said the council had ‘‘no current plans’’ to stop chewing through about 6000 plastic cups each year.
LGOIMA responses showed most councils that bought plastic cups last year were looking at alternatives or had switched.
Kaiko¯ ura District Council had fewer than 100 plastic cups left.
Staff at Waitaki District Council were given a reusable cup after the council noticed staffers were ploughing through nonrecyclable takeaway cups.
Timaru District Council said it planned to put water fountains outside its three libraries.
Timaru was the worst plastic cup offender, buying 14,600 cups last year, followed by South Waikato, which bought 14,000.