By Jesse Graham
HEALESVILLIANS are being urged to ditch plastic bags and make use of reusable and environmentally friendly alternatives, with a group being formed to advocate for a town free of plastic bags.
Plastic Bag Free Healesville is a group formed earlier in the year by four residents to advocate for alternatives to single-use plastic bags.
Meeting monthly to discuss options, make fabric shopping bags and get the ball rolling on the movement, the group has gained new members and is the latest in a series of Plastic Bag Free groups, including ones formed in Warburton and in the Dandenong Ranges.
A group of nine members met with the Mail at Harvest Cafe on Friday 26 August, to talk about their progress, which has seen 212 people like their Facebook page since March.
David Johnston said the group not only highlighted the environmental issues that plastic bags caused, but also encouraged people to make sustainable choices in their place.
“We’re talking about the whole big picture – it’s not just ‘nasty plastic bags, get rid of them’ – the fact is that people actually like having plastic bags, because they use them as bin liners” he said.
“We’ve looked at all the implications of this, and how we can maybe convince people not to need plastic bin liners, and it’s only in its infancy.”
He said plastic bags were harmful for the environment, particularly due to their potential to harm native animals, such as platypuses, when they entered waterways.
For that reason, and the long association of Healesville with the animal, the group has chosen the platypus as their mascot.
Ria Lidgerwood said the group had been in touch with Plastic Bag Free Warburton, which recently launched boomerang bags – bags that people could use in place of plastic bags when they forgot to bring their own re-usable bag and later return them to stores.
“They’ve been very supportive and we’ve spoken about how they’ve done it and how we can follow,” Ms Lidgerwood said.
She said the big issue was education and changing the habits of people who may unthinkingly get plastic bags when they shop.
“It’ll take a while, but this will slowly change people’s habits,” she said.
Ali Griffin said a community meeting at Yarra Valley Refreshments in July saw about 15 people attend, and a number of them attend a follow-up meeting in early August.
“I guess we’re at the point of figuring out a timeline of when we could launch the whole campaign, what’s that going to be when we launch it and what sort of bags we need to produce,” she said.
Ms Lidgerwood said the group had a bag sewing group in the community meeting room in the Healesville Library every second Tuesday, with attendees encouraged to bring their own sewing machine or to have a cup of tea and talk to the group.
She and member Doris Pozzi said residents should keep reusable carry bags in their car, handbag or backpack for use at supermarkets, and to avoid using plastic bags where they could.
For more information on the group, search Plastic Bag Free Healesville on Facebook, or email plasticbagfreehealesville@gmail.com.
