​We thought it was difficult to import food to Australia but we guess plastic wrapped food is easier because it's sealed. Do we need this?

The next step in the sustainability journey at Gosford Private Hospital. Biodegradable sugar is cane kidney bowls to replace single use plastic ones.
Not only are they cheaper than plastic, water resistant for up to 24 hours and suitable for use with sharps, they can also be disposed of responsibly and will break down naturally. Another small but important step in the right direction. Eco Aid is the supplier.
They have injection trays, medicine cups, anaesthetic trays - in case any other hospitals or doctors would like to make a change for the better.

The proliferation of single-use plastic around the world is accelerating climate change and needs to be urgently halted. Plastic production is expanding worldwide and plastic contributes to greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of its lifecycle, from its production to its refining and the way it is managed as a waste product. This plastic binge threatens attempts to meet the Paris climate agreement. It means that by 2050 plastic will be responsible for up to 13% of the total “carbon budget” – equivalent to 615 coal-fired power plants – says research.
After the extraction of fossil fuels to produce plastic, the carbon footprint of a material which has become ubiquitous across the globe continues through the refining process, and on well past its useful life as a drinks bottle or plastic bag, through the way it is disposed of and the plastic afterlife. Disposable plastic found in packaging and fast-moving consumer goods forms the largest and fastest-growing segment of the plastic economy. That's why "Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew" supports today's climate strike and hope that soon the production of single-use, disposable plastic will end - for us, for the oceans and for the future.

Keep an eye out for these colourful buckets in the near future. Hopefully this concept will spread. "Leisure Coast Fruit & Deli" will be trialling these new reusable buckets over the next few weeks in replacement of plastic bags in an effort to reduce their environmental footprint.
Customers are still more than welcome to bring their own reusable checkout bags for the checkout staff to pack the groceries.
"Leisure Coast Fruit & Deli" have implemented several other waste management programs with their meat and deli products, green waste, loose plastic wrapping, recycling paper, cardboard and styrofoam; along with their solar panels that are up and running too.

"Our coast, our mission" found a blue tongued lizard while cleaning up a dumped bean bag. The lizard was quite distressed with a mouth and throat full of beans. They rushed him to the Southcoast Animal Hospital and are happy to share that he has since been released back to his home.
This is a firsthand account of how a careless attitude towards plastic use can affect those around us. We have seen it locally too, especially around Curl Curl lagoon and Freshwater beach.

Want to know more about what you can do?
Start change with the power you have:
Full interview can be found here:
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2SQNCn9
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2YCCejQ
Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/googlewcwd
Anchor: http://bit.ly/2KTPLfp
"Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew" was founded to solve an immediate litter problem on the local beaches in Sydney. 5 years on, Malin from Kobie and the Crew are leading the campaign against single-use plastic in their communities and neighbourhoods. Thank you to @whatcanwedo.podcast for the interview.

If we continue to dump plastic as we have done to date, the quantity floating on the surface could quadruple by the year 2050, and up to 231.6 million tonnes will have polluted the ocean as microplastics.
The picture is better if we stop releasing any plastic into the ocean from 2020. In that scenario, the volume of floating plastic would drop to 59% of its current levels. But the quantity of microplastics in the ocean would still more than double by 2050 as material already trapped in the environment degrades.
The problem will be with us for decades, the researchers write:
“Mitigating microplastic pollution in the global ocean requires two major components: (1) drastically reducing emissions of plastic pollution in the coming years and (2) actively engaging in removal operations of plastic waste from the marine environment to reduce further generation of secondary microplastics.
“Without proper handling and management of accumulated plastic waste, the legacy of the last 70 years of throw-away society will live on through the generation of ever smaller synthetic polymer fragments in soils, freshwater ecosystems and eventually the ocean.”
By: Mark Bruer

Reduce your single use plastic footprint by getting a reusable cup!

The crew - what we do and why we do it. Each and every one of us can change the world - just one bit at a time!

Roxy Jacenko, CEO at Sweaty Betty uses turtle killers to promote "fun" and sales. Balloons are in the top three most harmful waste items to wildlife. Birds and turtles not only ingest balloons, they actively select them as food. This is because a burst balloon often resembles a jellyfish, the natural food sources of many marine species like turtles.
Ingesting balloons, and the clips and strings attached to them, can cause intestinal blockages and results in a slow painful death through starvation. Marine animals don’t have the gastrointestinal pH levels to breakdown a balloon and for turtles, it may also cause floating syndrome. Trapped gases in the gut can cause a turtle to become buoyant, unable to dive for food—making them vulnerable to boat strikes and leading to starvation and severe dehydration.
Wildlife, both terrestrial and marine, can also become entangled in balloon ribbons or strings, causing injury or death through drowning, suffocation, or an inability to feed and avoid predators.
Even if balloons are disposed of "safely" they go to landfill where it may take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leaching potentially toxic substances into the soil and water. Why are some organisations like this so stubborn in regards to using balloons as "advertising fun?
Even if these balloons are biodegradable, it's greenwash. Natural latex may be biodegradable, but after adding chemicals, plasticizers and artificial dyes, how natural could it be? It may degrade after several years, but it’s surely not “biodegradable.”