A special tour taking place in Castlemaine next week will show participants where and how they can shop locally to keep single-use plastic out of their shopping baskets and out of the environment.
Castlemaine Unwrapped – A Tour happens next Monday July 22 and follows the first such tour that was well received by local shoppers when it took place last year.
“The main aim is to really demystify shopping without plastic, because there’s a number of venues that do provide that option, and just to point out how easy it can be,” says Lucy Young of Plastic Bag Free Castlemaine, which is running the tour with support from Mount Alexander Shire Counci’s Community Grants Program.
The tour begins at 10am at Togs Cafe and after morning tea and a chat the crew with Plastic Bag Free Castlemaine then lead a stroll through the CBD, visiting retailers who are taking active steps to help shoppers reduce their single use plastics and save dollars into the bargain.
They range from a butchery to a business stocking products that help householders reduce their plastic, to local bulk food shopping experiences and even take-away businesses that are taking a proactive stance on the issue.
“The last time we held the tour it was fully booked out and one of the things we loved was that we didn’t actually know anyone who came along,” Lucy said.
A year after supermarkets banned plastic bags, Victorians are still using more than a billion annually but state-wide steps are now being taken to tackle the global issue that’s causing significant environmental damage in our waterways and oceans.
Lightweight, single-use plastic shopping bags will be banned across Victoria from November 1 this year under new legislation introduced to Parliament last month by the state Labor government.
“Plastic pollution is a significant environmental problem,” state environment minister Lily D’Ambrosio said.
“The feedback on this one was clear. Victorians want to do more to protect the environment from the damage litter causes and are overwhelmingly supportive of banning single-use plastic shopping bags.”
Plastic Bag Free Castlemaine is a project of The Hub Foundation and tour bookings can be made via eventbrite by searching online for Castlemaine Unwrapped – A Tour, and cost $10 concession paid on the day or $15 waged paid online.
