The Sunshine Businesses Association (SBA) plans to be the first Victorian shopping precinct to go SUSTAINABLE! Our customers want us to be more environmentally conscious and we want more customers. We are starting the focus on single use plastic straws, eventually branching out to single use plastic bags, single use take-away containers and single use drink containers.
With over 420 shops and offices in the Sunshine business precinct, the SBA run by business volunteers, will embark on a 12 month+ educational program with the aim of changing the way businesses operate and reduce the impact on the environment. Supported by Brimbank City Council and The Friends of Kororoit Creek we will educate our businesses, customers and visitors to ask for environmentally friendly cups, straws, bags and take-away containers. This will start on Tuesday 15th January 2019.
Our ’STRAWS SUCK’ campaign was launched June 2018 and we are now educating our 80+ cafes & restaurants to phase out single use plastic straws and replace them with paper straws. The SBA has purchased 80,000 paper straws and glass dispensers and we will undergo educational visits to highlighting this initiative and that by advocating for sustainability they will see an increase in customer numbers to their businesses. Participating businesses will display a colourful window decal of a platypus and straws with a message of; “SAY NO TO PLASTIC STRAWS” so our customers know which shops are trying to become sustainable and also to educate our customers to say no to plastic straws! We have chosen to us a platypus instead of the international sea turtle because we once had platypuses in our local Kororoit Creek and want to assist in their return….one day!
The ’STRAWS SUCK’ message has been visible on our street bins throughout 2018 & now again in 2019. In conjunction with the Friends of Kororoit Creek (FOKC) we are reinstalling binwraps on the 100 rubbish bins in and around Sunshine CBD. The local children, artists, residents and families of Sunshine have hand painted 88 individual panels telling their anti-litter, anti-plastic message and how plastic ruins the Kororoit Creek. Jessica Gerger who managed this said “Not only are the bin wraps visually striking but the messages on them are coming from the community to the community. The hope is that a message from perhaps a 6-year old asking people to reduce their plastic footprint or to use the bin for the planet’s sake – will make an impression.”
SBA President – Carson Luk said; “On average our café’s and restaurants are using between 200 to 500 straws a day, or 16,000 to 40,000 straws a day in Sunshine. We believe that through ongoing education around sustainability to traders and subsequently our customers, there is an opportunity to enhance the attractiveness of our Sunshine, become sustainable while also positively affecting business profits.
Enquires: SBA Marketing Coordinator.