Greening the Hub's shoppers

Seventy seven percent of shoppers in Newtown’s King Street indicated they would favour businesses that were actively reducing plastic bag usage, according to a survey by The Watershed Sustainability Resource Centre in Newtown.

The Watershed’s Bagbusters project is a joint initiative of Marrickville and City of Sydney Councils to reduce the number of plastic carry bags used.

Newtown Business Precinct Association spokesperson Adam Hill said Bagbusters was working with local businesses and shoppers, to embrace sustainable changes that would eliminate plastic bags in Newtown.

“The survey revealed each Newtown shopper used about 200 plastic bags annually and many of these bags enter King Street’s stormwater system and end up in Botany Bay and Sydney Harbour,” he said.

Mr Hill said this caused major pollution and local flooding problems in addition to threatening marine life.  “We are encouraging Newtown businesses to consider practical measures when it comes to plastic bags so we can clean up the Newtown environment,” he said.

Local business owner Stephanie Malloy said all local businesses had a responsibility to the community to implement a plastic bag reduction strategy.

Ms Malloy said business owners needed to understand the environmental impact of plastic bags and the positive effects plastic bag reduction would have on their companies.

“Plastic bag free businesses can also save themselves money and as the Bagbusters survey has shown, the decision will hold them in favour with shoppers,” she said.

Bagbusters provides local businesses with free staff training and signage to promote their commitment to a sustainable environment. 

The initiative is one of a range of projects undertaken by The Watershed Sustainability Resource Centre. The centre also provides a shopfront advisory service, a public resource library and free workshops.

Do your bit to help the Hub go green - join the Bagbusters project or sign up for one of The Watershed’s Urban Sustainability Workshops.