Noosa Council’s decision to introduce compostable dog waste bags could rid landfill of over a million plastic bags annually.
It is estimated the initiative – due to be introduced later this year – will remove around 1.2 million plastic bags from the environment annually.
“Council is serious about reducing plastic bag waste and the impact it has on the environment,” said Noosa Council Mayor
Tony Wellington.
“That’s why we’re pleased to be one of the first councils in Queensland to make the switch to compostable bags.”
Council provides more than a million dog bags to residents every year, which end up in landfill or as rubbish across parks, gardens and waterways.
A key advocate for the initiative, Councillor Joe Jurisevic, said the switch is part of Council’s overall commitment to reducing waste.
“Made from corn starch, these bags decompose in the environment; by contrast, the bags we currently use simply break into smaller pieces of plastic, which remains in the environment.
“That’s a lot of plastic, we’ll be removing from the waste stream and natural areas as a result of this change.”
The compostable bag roll-out comes ahead of the State Government’s single-use plastic shopping bag ban, to take effect from July 2018 – a move Council supports.
“The State’s leadership in banning single-use plastic shopping bags in Queensland is commendable,” said Mayor Wellington.
“Council too is pleased to lead by example on this issue as part of our Towards Zero Waste initiative.
“This will assist the local laws team in its efforts to better educate the community about responsible pet ownership.”
