AUSTRALIA'S WASTE CHALLENGES GO FAR BEYOND ONE DAY BUT WE'RE WORKING WITH COLES TO SOLVE THEM
Since 2018, Coles has raised more than $1 million to support Clean Up Australia in its mission to clean up, fix up and conserve the environment.
Coles’ partnership with Clean Up Australia began when single use plastic bags were removed from its supermarkets in mid-2018. Clean Up Australia was named as one of four national community organisations to benefit from the sales of reusable bags designed by Aussie kids, with Coles donating 10% of every bag sold to help with clean up efforts across Australia.
More than $761,000 has been raised from these colourful ‘community bags’ and recently Coles announced it will donate 10% from the sale of every new Marine Reusable Shopping Bag to support Clean Up Australia’s Buy Recycled program.
Coles’ Marine Reusable Shopping Bags are made with 80% recycled plastic, including 20% marine waste plastic. The marine waste plastic is recovered from ocean-feeding waterways and inland areas primarily within Malaysia.
In addition to funds raised by Coles supermarkets and its customers, Coles Liquor has raised over $240,000 from its annual “Drop of Good” campaign which coincides with Clean Up Australia Day each year in March.
Funds raised across Coles Group have provided volunteers with free materials such as clean up gloves, pickers, bags and first aid kits as they take to their streets, local parks, beaches, rivers and outdoor spaces to remove accumulated rubbish.
Coles and Coles Liquor team members have also taken part in Clean Up Australia Days and other initiatives to help remove rubbish in their local communities during the year, particularly in areas affected by recent floods and natural disasters.
Learn more about how Coles is supporting Clean Up Australia:
Australia has a plastics problem. Australia now produces 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, equating to 100 kg per person. Of this, only 13% of plastic is recovered and 84% is sent to landfill.
More concerningly, around 130,000 tonnes of the plastic we consume leaks into the marine environment each year.
By 2025 it is predicted that 99% of seabirds worldwide will have ingested plastic.
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment | National Plastics Plan 2021
What can YOU do?
Refuse. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Compost.
We make very little use of the resources we already extract when we could be feeding them back into the resource loop, preventing rubbish entering the environment and waste going to landfill.
Source: Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment | National Plastics Plan 2021
REFERENCES:
1. Australian Plastics Recycling Survey (2018-2019)
2. National Plastics Survey 2018-2019
3. National circular economy roadmap for plastics, glass, paper and tyres CSIRO
4. National Waste Report
5.World Wide Fund For Nature Australia and Boston Consulting Group, “Plastics Revolution to reality - A roadmap to halve Australia’s single-use plastic litter” (2020)
6. World Wildlife Foundation and Boston Consulting Group, “Plastics Revolution to reality
7. World Wide Fund For Nature Australia and Boston Consulting Group, “Plastics Revolution to reality - A roadmap to halve Australia’s single-use plastic litter” (2020)
8. Ellen McCarthur Foundation, “The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking The Future Of Plastics and Catalysing Action” (2017)
9.World Economic Forum, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and McKinsey & Co. “The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the Future of Plastics” (2016)
Inspire your family and friends to make a change by sharing your pledge and tagging @CleanUpAustralia #CleanUpAustralia
Clean Up Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.