A commitment by Brisbane City Council to phase out single-use plastics is a major boost for South East Queensland’s waterways, according to the environmental rehabilitation group Healthy Land & Water.

On May 16, Brisbane City Council announced it would move to ban plastic drinking straws and phase out the use of helium balloons and single-use plastic bottles at all council operations and sponsored events.

Brisbane City Council announced it would move to ban plastic drinking straws and phase out the use of helium balloons and single-use plastic bottles at all council operation and sponsored events. 

Healthy Land & Water Chief Executive Officer Julie McLellan commended Brisbane City Council and said the move will have a positive effect on South East Queensland’s waterways.

“Bold action from community leaders is crucial if we are to reduce the impact of plastic pollution on our environment,” she said.

“A ban on these single-use plastic items will cut the amount of rubbish entering our waterways, improve the quality of marine habitats, and reduce the number of marine animals injured or killed each year by ingesting plastic pollution.”

Ms McLellan said research conducted by the University of Queensland found thirty percent of dead turtles found in Moreton Bay had ingested plastic litter.

“That’s why Healthy Land & Water is so focused on reducing plastic pollution, and why I encourage all South East Queensland councils and our state and federal counterparts to consider a similar commitment to banning single-use plastics.”

Clean Up Program Findings

In a worrying trend, data collected by Healthy Land & Water found the amount of plastic pollution entering SEQ’s waterways increased in 2017, the first rise in four years.

The data was collected as part of Healthy Land & Water’s Clean Up Program, an initiative to remove litter from South East Queensland’s waterways.

In the twelve months to June 2017, the Clean-Up crew plucked more than 16,000 single-use plastic bottles from waterways across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Logan, and Ipswich.

Almost 10,000 plastic pieces including straws and balloons were also collected in the same period.

Ms. McLellan said the findings highlighted why the ban on single-use plastics was important.

“Buying bottled water and grabbing a plastic straw might be convenient, but it comes at a terrible price for the environment,” she said.

What can we do

Ms. McLellan said everyone in the community can help stem the tide by turning to environmentally friendly alternatives that already exist like go2zone, a social enterprise launched by Healthy Land & Water in 2017 that provides free chilled water refill stations at busy locations around SEQ.

“Instead of buying plastic bottles when you’re out and about, take your own water bottle and fill it up for free with clean chilled water from one of the go2zone water refill stations dotted around the region,” she said.

“Instead of a plastic straw, carry a reusable straw, and next time you’re celebrating a special occasion, ditch the balloons and decorate with other reusable items that are safe for the environment.”

“We believe it’s important for everyone to take a stand and help stem the tide,” she said.

Brisbane City Council is yet to detail when the phase-out will begin.

The Healthy Land & Water Clean Up Program is supported by Brisbane City Council, Logan City Council, Ipswich City Council, Port of Brisbane, the City of Gold Coast, the Queensland Government, and the Australian Government.